going for surgery in 2 days 8/24/08

[Richard]

So things seem to be healing OK, 5 more weeks! some of the stitches are still inside, I gues they dissolve quite slowly? A crust forms over them and that falls off. I have a section of glans close to the remnants of the frenulum (maybe remnulum is a better word) that has a thick black crust, nasty looking! That sliced section of glans has never seen the world before becasue it was covered by a large bridge. On the top of my glans close to the corona there is a small crust that "lifts off", under which is the appearance of a small dent. Still way better than having skin bridges. On the shaft there are hard red raised lumps where the stitches were, slightly troubling I must say.

So I wanted to ask, besides stretching for restoration what can be done to help soften the scars and give them a more natural pigment? My old circ scar is quite raised and dark itself, quite rough looking.

I was taking a look at this silicone product Cica-care , which looks like it might do the trick? How long after I'm healed could I use something like that?

Seems the only way to obtain it without a prescription is to order off the web, expensive too.

[Tally]

Originally Posted by Richard

So I wanted to ask, besides stretching for restoration what can be done to help soften the scars and give them a more natural pigment? My old circ scar is quite raised and dark itself, quite rough looking.

This is a good question for your doc with respect to your new scars.

I had surgery to repair a tendon to my thumb. I had a 4 inch incision on my wrist. The doctor and physical therapist had me manipulate the area to break down the scar tissue. They gave me some pliable, sticky plastic sheet to rub the healing incision and to move the skin around over the underlying tissue. Moving the skin back and forth and around broke down the scar tissue and prevented more from forming. I wore out the plastic sheet. I see the incision line, but my skin is flexible and pliant around the incision.

[Distalero]

I say this as a general bit of info, not as a specific treatment for your particular situation, but many studies have been done concerning reducing the appearance of scar tissue. None, and I mean none, of the fancy, clinical sounding products out there worked. None of them (let the games begin ). Know what did have some effect as a topical? Petroleum jelly; plain ol' Vaseline. I'm not suggesting you use this without asking your surgeon first. Do ask him, though.

This aside, manual breakdown of scar tissue is the tried and true method, if it's possible to do with the tissue affected. Some of us restorers, the ones who actually do this, have discovered that cycling tension will go a long way towards breaking down scar tissue, or at least that's what's happened for us. So when you return to "stretching", over time this will have some effect for you as well.