I agree Cheryl. A straight line would be less noticeable than a zigzag incision. Its unusual to see a surgery scar as something other than a straight line. There must be some other reason behind why the zigzag would be used.

This scar would be on the chin of an 18 year old from her lip on down - I'm assuming midway down her throat. Dave is a friend on Facebook (the Australian boy) he had the same scar, zigzag and it is - to me - more noticeable than a thin straight line would be. Makes him look rugged and can be hidden with facial hair but on an 18 year old girl - NOT so much! And she definitely should be stitched by a plastics guy!

It is bizarre - I get that this surgery is meant to save a life - and it doesn't have to be pretty - however cancer is damaging enough and as we all know this particular cancer can be highly disfiguring. I've seen how some drs close up their patients - staples, big stitches etc.... Now we all know that it is VERY possible for a skilled surgeon to close an incision with hidden stitches so I don't get why it's not common practice. Particularly when dealing with a person's face. Cancer is terrifying enough, getting through it surviving it is absolutely the goal, but being horribly scarred and disfigured (not all but some experience this) should be minimized as much as possible since it is a constant reminder of the battle we've fought and the fear. This can totally effect a persons psyche and normalcy.

Women who've had breast cancer here can get full reconstruction and tattooed on areolas - if needed - for free here.... Hello - how many of us walk around with our breasts hanging out? I'm not saying it shouldn't be available, but there should be some parity, some of us have to bear the signs of our battle publicly day to day because it's on our faces which is the first thing people see - care should be taken from the outset.
Hugs

Nothing I can add to that excellent rant, Cheryl, you definitely tell it like it is!

Kudos, and good on ya, Lass! I'm with you on every word!

Bart

Same guy performed my sisters surgery. He hid the scar along her
neck, but did have the zig zag on the chin. It healed nicely and she was able to cover up fairly easy with just a little cover up.
I'm sure they had a team of surgeons, and I believe one guy was a
plastic surgeon.

About the zig-zag vs the straight line, seems to me that it would depend on where the incision is done. My son's ENT did the incision in a crease in his neck so that it would not be noticeable and it does not show at all (just as fishmanpa mentioned). However, I can see that if a straight line is done on the chin and on down in a straight line, it would seem that the eye would follow the line on down as far as it goes. But if the incision starts on the chin and then goes off to one side, the eye which was following the straight line has no straight line to follow. On the chin there are not usually creases in which to hide a scar like there is on the neck. Just my two cents.

As far as I can see and recollect my throat was cut on a existing crease as I cannot see any noticeable scars apart from the up and under side damage of the lymph node removal.

Mine was also on what will be a crease - my surgeon and I joked that I was too young to have the crease yet, but when it came, that's where it will be, lol.

The lines from my ear to my collarbone on each side are hardly visible now with the laser treatment I had done.

Hi Rebecca,

Sorry about the situation, but glad to see that you found such a great resource as the people on this site. Your sister's situation sounds very similar to mine. I put off getting my dx for a while as well. I figured that at only 29 years old it had to be just a sore of some kind, couldn't possibly be the dreaded C. I'm sure at 18 that feeling was even stronger.

I have to agree with what was said earlier about making it known that breaking the jaw to get to her tongue should only be done if they can't get it all through the mouth once they get in the OR. I was lucky enough to not need my jaw split. (My wife is always telling me I have a big mouth.) One thing I learned during my hospital stay was that you have to be very clear on what YOU want to happen. No matter how authoritative the doctors sound, they are really just making reccomendations on treatment. Granted, these reccomendations are being made by very knowledgable people and should not be taken lightly, but YOUR treatment is always YOUR choice.

As far as eating after surgery is concerned. I found that my tastes didn't change until the chemo and radiation treatments started, which was 6 weeks after surgery. I had worked my way back up to eating about everything short of chips by that point. I've never appreciated a steak and blooming onion more.

I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be a rough rollercoaster ride. There are going to be good days and bad emotionally. Especially in the beginning it can be extremely overwhelming. Having a great support system makes a huge difference. If you or your sister have any questions at all don't hesitate to ask. Chances are, someone here has been through it.