How soon can I began using vitamin e oil, cocoa butter or something to soothe the tight skin from a LBL?

Thanks for your inquiry.  In general it is important for incisions to be completely healed before starting any type of scar regimen.  I would suggest checking with your plastic surgeon before starting any treatment.

Every patient is different and every plastic surgeon has their own different way of treating scars after a 360 lower or circumferential body lift.  In general, I typically wait for all lower body lift incisions to be completely healed before starting scar creams.  For some patients this means 2 to 3 weeks after surgery;  for some patients, this means four months after a 360 circumferential body lift.  To clarify, vitamin E and cocoa butter are used to lighten the scar, not to "soothe the tight skin".  In addition,  there are better scar creams than vitamin E and cocoa butter.  The key ingredient to any good scar cream is silicone.   The silicone cream can be applied as a cream or as a strip, like Scotch tape.  Excellent silicone product include Mederma and Kelocote.I would use these creams for 18 to 24 months.

2-3 days after surgery to start lotions should be fine.  I would avoid the incision lines, however.Best wishes for a speedy recovery!