jsut wondering if anyone has found anything to use to try to minimize the scars after RND? I bought some mederma but the reviews online are not real positive and don't know how soon to start using it after the staples came out?

Any advice?????

I have had a lot of success using these products

Burts Bee's repair serum
Burst Beees primrose oil
bio oil

they all smell relaly nice too. Mederma kind of smells icky and its sticky and rolls off under make up which I didn't like.

Nor have I,, Just let it run it's course.

Being a guy, I don't mind the scars that make me look like I didn't get out of that biker bar in time back in the 70's when I was visiting San Francisco and renewing an intimate relationship with the biker chief's girlfriend.
Seriously, to get rid of the petrified wood syndrome I used a different Burt's Bee product: the hand salve. My RO swears by it for all his radiation treatments and I had used it with great success the first time around. This time though I started off with Neosporin (you can use any triple strength antibotic cream)on the scars when the staples came out which has miminized them. Then I switched over to the Burt's Bee balm hand salve. You can use it for your scar massage also
Finally, see about getting a prescription for physical therapy for your neck which usually includes both scar massage and exercises. Best of luck to you
Charm

Jeani, I blew that answer .. I used a lot of Aquaphor and pure aloe my Dr gave me. I was thinking about all of the scars on my stomache that aren't cancer related. The cancer scars are almost invisible. LOL A mind is a bad thing to waste, but I did!!

Thanks everyone,..I forgot where I entered this question and still can't figure out how to get the site to notify me of new postings to my threads!
What is scar massage???
Will hit the store tomorrow for Burt's Bees...there's no marks where the staples went and the scar is really not too bad!

ASk your surgeon.....The primary reason to massage your neck scar is to keep it supple and to keep it from scarring down and being forever tight, making you feel like you are being strangled by a rope! My doctor said that I had better "really get after that scar!" He didn't care what I used...I used some lovely body butter from Bath and Body Works.....YOu need to ask the dr. when to begin and how to do it. You want to be sure that the top layer of skin doesn't scar down to the tissue underneath it too much, but you don't want to keep it from healing by starting too soon. Ask.
I continue to massage my neck each time I apply night cream....not a big deal, but I figure I might as well continue. I also contine my jaw exercises, even after 3 1/2 years...I feel a little tight when I don't. I stretch my jaw many times a day.

Ask the doctor about massaging your scar. It's really important! XO

Jeani

Here is a repeat of a prior post I did on scar massage:
After the surgery, I was not immediately told about scar massage. It wasn't until I started physical therapy for the neck dissection shoulder issues that this very simple technique was shown to me. At Monday's follow up visit with the plastic surgeon over the tongue reconstruction skin grafts, the resident went out of her way to stress the importance of scar massage on my wrist flap area, saying that otherwise I may need steroid treatments. For those who haven't been told about it, of course ask your doctor before jumping in but here's most of the printed handout I got
[quote]
Scars cause tissue adhesion between the tissues and the muscles beneath them. To perform scar massage, gently rub your fingers gently over the scar in a circular motion. You may also rub back and forth across the scar, You should check periodically for ares on the scar which do not move easily and concentrate on those areas. Pressure should be gentle and should not cause pain. You can massage several times a day for a few minutes at a time. If there is readness, pain or oozing from the scar, you should stop and consult with your therapist or doctor, The scar should be healed before beginning massage[/quote]
__________________Hope this helps
Charm

Thanks everyone, again. for some reason I still never get notified when there's answers to my posts so I have to remember to log on and where I left the questions! I'll copy this info to my husband so maybe he'll read it and take action...

You will get a flashing mail indicator when you have responses to private messages, but not responses to posts in the general forums. From the My Stuff drop down menu - select "posts" and you can follow things you posted to and answers to your post. FYI

Donna