Does anyone have some "anti-battle-scar" healing methods??

[DeniseGoldberg]

If you hit your head (and your helmet) - please don't forget to replace your helmet too. Our helmets are single-crash items...

--- Denise

[Dogmama]

Huge dittos on the helmet. You may not see the damage, but internally it could be trashed.

There is a cream called Mederma (sp?) that is OTC & supposed to be good for scars. You have to be completely healed up to use it. It is a tad $$$.

Antibiotic cream will help & it WILL eventually fade.

[margo49]

Huge dittos on the helmet. You may not see the damage, but internally it could be trashed.

Siberian oil which is based on a planty- herby-berry thing called
Sea buck thorn.
It was one of the secrets of Ghengis Khan's success. Apparently it is full of Vit E and Mongol hordes were able to continue their rampage(s) despite wounds which would have killed other warriors
I have used it on a *major* wound (open crush fracture) and would highly recommend it
PM me and I will look up the Latin name if you cannot find it - prob'ly at a Natural Health type shop

[mtbdarby]

BACATRACIN!!!! It's amazing. Keep the area clean with soap and water and apply bacatracin - no generic. It worked wonders for me.

[velogirl]

To prevent scarring (which is more than just a cosmetic issue), you want to employ wet wound healing. Unless stitched, this means scrub the daylights out of your wound twice a day. Then, cover it in neosporyn or bacatracin or brave soldier and keep it covered. I prefer to use Saran Wrap to cover road rash (you can wrap it right around your leg or arm -- even joints). Some folks will purchase expensive burn bandages or tegaderm, but I think good old fashioned plastic wrap works just as well.

The secret to good healing is that you don't want a scab to form. Scabs cause scars. Wet wound healing is a process where the wound heals from the inside out, so you need to keep the skin surface moist.

In ten days, you'll have pretty pink skin and no scabs or scars. Now, you need to zinc the heck out of this or use another powerful sunscreen or it will discolor. If it's extensive enough and you plan to be in the sun for long periods of time, I'd recommend covering it in clothing (arm warmers work on arms, knee warmers on legs, etc).

But don't let it air out. Air = scab = scar.

Pretty pics here -- http://www.bravesoldier.com/1/caring_rr_gallery.php

[SadieKate]

I thought no air = infection. Bacteria lurve no air. I thought the trick was moist and some air, the reason for Tegaderm, Second Skin, etc.

Just googled and found these articles.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/i.../abrasions.htm

http://www.arniebakercycling.com/pub...Rash%20ABC.pdf

I was having a rash of wounds from mtbiking a while back so I bought a bunch of Brave Soldier stuff to try. Haven't needed it since. I probably just jinxed myself.

[SadieKate]

Arnie Baker - I have his Bicycling Medicine book but I didn't know he had this extensive website. Adding it to my bookmarks.

http://www.arniebakercycling.com/

[velogirl]

I thought no air = infection. Bacteria lurve no air. I thought the trick was moist and some air, the reason for Tegaderm, Second Skin, etc.

Okay, maybe NO AIR is a bit of an exaggeration. But you don't want the wound to AIR DRY. The only way to keep a wound wet is to keep it covered (and not in a gauze bandage).

This is the method I was taught in the ER after getting hit by a car in 2002. I had road rash up my entire right side and you'd never find a scar now. And I didn't get any infections. The secret is to scrub it twice a day, put anti-bacterial ointment on the site, and cover it so it stays wet. You can buy expensive bandages (like Tegaderm) if you want, but I found Saran Wrap works just as well and because it's large you can wrap body parts easily. You might have to put an athletic wrap over the Saran Wrap to keep it on.

And you'll crinkle when you walk.....

BTW, this is the standard treatment for road rash, not big gaping wounds. All my racers have used the same method over the years (and no scars).

[annie]

There is a cream called Mederma (sp?) that is OTC & supposed to be good for scars. You have to be completely healed up to use it. It is a tad $$$.

Worth the $$$. You can usually find a generic version. I bought mine at Walgreens (their brand) and it worked wonders. I also second the recommendation for Vitamin E, oil or cream. I crashed a couple years ago...... landed mostly on my face. So the saran wrap wasn't an option. Any bandaging was not really an option. I kept it scrupulously clean. Used topical antibiotice and burn ointment until it began to heal. Then used the Vitamin E oil. After the skin had re-grown, I continued to use the V-E, and added the mederma, to prevent scarring. Now, no one would ever notice the minimal scarring unless I point it out to them. I feel very lucky.

I got the V-E oil from a friend, who had a bad sky-diving jump, broke an ankle, had a line of stiches on her leg, which healed well, and she attributed that to the E. So now I recommend it to anyone who has an injury that could leave a scar.

Here's hoping you heal well and quickly, light_sabe_r!

annie

[Lise]

A covered wound that's not clean is going to be a breeding ground for infection. The secret is keeping it clean, and getting out the dead tissue. I fell hard while running last year, and really scraped my knee. I just gritted my teeth and scrubbed it out well before covering it with triple antibiotic ointment every day. It seemed like it took forever to heal, but it healed well, and no scar.

[kelownagirl]

I am taking copious notes here. I ALWAYS scar and I ALWAYS have some sort of scrape or cut on my legs... Got a terrible case of rope burn when my dog took off after something over a year ago and the scar across my ankle is still there. Think I could it go away at this late date by trying some of the things you have mentioned?

[Geonz]

Okay, what do you mean scrub? How do you scrub an open wound?

[Kitsune06]

Okay okay okay

I feel obligated now to post.

Being a member of BME (bmezine.com) for quite awhile and actually witnessing/watching abrasion scarification/cautery scarification, etc for art, I feel a need to post now about what goes into scarification (from my experience).

Now, I say 'from my experience' because this goes against some of what I've just read on this thread, but the basis of scarification is purposely prolonging the healing time of injuries to the dermal layers. For shallow abrasions, you generally don't need to worry too much about scarring. Clean it well and flush it out with saline to remove debris which will lead to infection (thus prolonging the healing time) and use triple antibiotic. I like the seran-wrap idea- it's used in tattooing where scars=blurred or otherwise poor work- but I'd only use it for a few days, while it's really lymphing.
Keep it dry and let it breathe. Occasionally dab triple antibiotic on the scab to keep it soft and pliable so it won't get caught on things and get torn off. Shearing the scab will lead to the distruction of the delicate new dermal cells being put in place, which will tell the body that this area needs something tougher- generally a more crinkly scar tissue.
Once the tender pink skin is in place, start using vitamin E oil and Siberian oil.

Gaping cuts are another matter. If they gape even when pulling the edges taut and don't close by themselves, you might need stitches. Stitches will scar, unless (once closed!) you use Vit. E. I think J&J has some scar reducing strips based on static electricity (?) to reduce scars... cuts need to be babied, esp. if you have a tendency toward keloids.

Bacteria love oils and the anaerobic environment oils can produce in a wound. This is why oils shan't be used on open cuts, burns, or new piercings.

If you're one of those gnarly mtb chicks who wears scars as a badge of honor,
take your road rash or deep but not gapey cut and scrub it well with a *CLEAN* toothbrush, bristles loaded with hydrogen peroxide. Yes it will burn and hurt and maybe make you cry, but the abrasion, combined with the foaming action of the peroxide will help flush debris. After that, flush well with saline. Continue to periodically remove the scab tissue and abrade the healing tissues.
Eventually, the wound *will* heal, and you'll have a pink scar, which will fade to white over time.

Sorry to write a book, but relying on what I know from experience, I thought I'd share.

[Lise]

Okay, what do you mean scrub? How do you scrub an open wound?

For me, this wasn't as grotesque as it sounds. But it was bad enough. The wound was really dirty, because I'd fallen on sidewalk and scraped the skin off. First I rinsed it with water, then cut away the frayed edges with a nail clipper I'd cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Then I used wet cotton pads with a bit of soap to get the dirt out. I wanted to puke. I can take care of other peoples' wounds, but my own make me feel really pukey. But I thought, "You can do it, Lise, or you can go to the ER. And won't you feel stupid going to the ER for an infected boo-boo?" So I kept at it until there was no more visible dirt. I think at some point I used a clean, alcohol-rinsed tooth brush. Then I rinsed it again with water, applied pressure where it was still bleeding, put some triple antibiotic ointment on a sterile pad, covered the wound, and wrapped my leg in tape to keep it in place. I may have rinsed it with hydrogen peroxide, too. I've heard in the past year that this actually causes more trauma...can't remember if I learned this before that fall and restrained myself or not.

I don't know that this was the best way to do it, but I knew I had to get the dirt and dead skin out before it got infected.

[velogirl]

Okay, what do you mean scrub? How do you scrub an open wound?

One Lise described -- the initial wound cleaning. Nice thing about having this done at the ER (as opposed to doing it yourself) is that they'll numb the site (so you won't feel them digging around in there. This is extremely useful for road rash because you typically get little bits of dirt and sand and stone embedded in your skin which can cause scarring or infection. My ER docs missed one little stone so now I have a black mark on my shoulder.

The second type of scrubbing is the daily cleansing scrub. I just used a net shower sponge. I know folks who've used loofah or sea sponges or even dobie pads. The purpose is to keep the surface clean and free of bacteria and to also slough off any shedding skin.