Forum Discussion
Ointments/Treatments for Mastectomy scar healing
Hi there,
This is my first post, although I have read many different discussions.
Thank you to all of you women who have gone before me on this journey and given such valuable, important advice, tips and tricks. To those women who have posted their photos, thank you for being so courageous and vulnerable, such big hearts, all of you.
I will one day soon post mine to contribute to the collective, in the hope to help other women who come after me.
I had my bilateral mastectomy on 6 May (now 3 weeks post), and am looking for your wisdom on ointments or treatments for scar healing. When did you start applying it?
Thank you once again,
Meghan x
This is my first post, although I have read many different discussions.
Thank you to all of you women who have gone before me on this journey and given such valuable, important advice, tips and tricks. To those women who have posted their photos, thank you for being so courageous and vulnerable, such big hearts, all of you.
I will one day soon post mine to contribute to the collective, in the hope to help other women who come after me.
I had my bilateral mastectomy on 6 May (now 3 weeks post), and am looking for your wisdom on ointments or treatments for scar healing. When did you start applying it?
Thank you once again,
Meghan x
12 Replies
- I have just ordered some silicone sheets someone in the breast reconstruction group suggested. My sister used the same product on an forearm surgery with excellent results. https://breastcarevictoria.com.au/collections/scar-management. I'll let you know how is goes.
- Strataderm is good. About $30 for a tiny tube though.
- Hi @Megsie I had my surgery in Jan 2018 and my surgeon recommended Kelocote Gel 6g - a silicone based gel. I used it sparingly (the small tube goes a LONG WAY as you just use a thin 'smear' along the edges of the scars. Chemist Direct have it for about $30 (which is about the same price my Surgeon's office sold it to me.)
Right now - I have to look twice to see which boob was operated on (I had a lumpectomy with mini recon.). My Rad Onc couldn't work out which one had been operated on last time I saw her, without looking at her notes!
I waited til the scars were not 'fresh' ..... and applied twice daily - sparingly.
All the best with your healing & ongoing treatment xx - Yep, the silicone gel ointment or silicone sheets are the go for flattening and lightening scar tissue. Best of luck.xxx
- As per @romla (we share a surgeon), BioOil was recommended to me. Apart from the fact that it is inexpensive, which is definitely a bonus, a benefit is that you massage it in lightly which I think helps to reduce tightness in the area. And it's effective for dry skin which I have as a result of treatment. It may be that I just have extraordinary healing powers (I don't think so) but my scar faded fairly quickly using this. Make sure it's the oil, not the gel, as the latter is a bit tacky and possibly doesn't work in as well.
- @Megsie, I used dermascar silicone gel. Apply very thinly and evenly along the whole scar once or twice only a day.It is colourless and it does not sting.
It can be used after the stitches are removed and the scar is ready for you to put something on it. It has given me a great result, I have used it before on other scars so I did not try anything else.Derma scar is available from most chemists or can be ordered in. While it is not cheap, one tube which is 15grams costs 10-15$ and goes a long way, one tube should last you for at least a month.I was originally recommended to use it by a plastic surgeon, and my surgeon was happy for me to use it instead of bio oil which he usually recommended.
I had my surgery last September, and I Had stopped needing it until radiotherapy. I started it again just on the scar, during and after radiotherapy, due to the skin peeling and redness that I got in the general area.Hope this helps and you are going well after your op.love Tinks xx - Hi @Megsie Hope you are healing well and managing with any pain. My surgeon gave very detailed instructions after my single mastectomy and pretty sure it was at about 4 weeks that I could start using cream on the scar - she suggested DermaScar which you can get from the chemist, it is a silicone gel and has worked really well.
- BioOil is good but if you want to pull out the big guns go for pure vitamin oil (but it is expensive and harder to apply as it is thicker).
You need to wait until the scar has healed, no open wound at all. As already stated, always good to check with your surgeon.
