Shaylynn, I have a question for you. I did read your blog and appreciate all the pictures you posted.

You mentioned using the shower cap. How did you wash your hair with your neck so sore? I would imagine the hair and soap would get on your sore neck. Did you need the shower cap to keep your hair in til your neck started to heal?

Funny...I never thought about the scarring and put nothing on it except whatever the doctors gave me. I did use the cream my RO prescribed. My scar just looks like a crease in the neck, I couldn't even tell people I was in a knife fight--they wouldn't believe me!!

My mother had mederma for something and gave me a tube; although, I didn't use it..I put it in the medicine cabinet and forgot about it...with everything going on I suppose scarring was the last thing on my mind.

Good luck though!

Hmmn, when I was young, my scars disappeared and skin restored itself just like Rays. I remember those days but unfortunately they had passed by the time I had my surgery. If I had not used the antibotic cream and lotions, my Frankenstein scars would not have healed into just knife fight evocative ones. It pays to be aggressive in treating the scar tissue and don't forget to ask about scar massage as that made a real difference for me also.
there was a thread on that last year
charm

Just wondering...is there anything we can use on the radiation damaged skin? My husband has a really bad area on the right side of his neck as the cancer was on the left and that's where the scar is for the RND so the damaged skin isn't really there anymore (I think they sewed right thru it!) but on the right side the skin looks pale and spotty...wonder if the Mederma would work there?

Staples have been out for a week now. Things are looking good.I have been using lotion & Vit E..the same as last time. I was just concerned how radiation will effect it (if it does)

Christine...the shower cap was a shampoo cap. I didn't take a shower after surgery until the staples were out. The shampoo cap is like a dry cap it just dampens your hair and for the body I just got nin the tub with a little ater.

Thanks again everyone!

When I had radiation for breast cancer, the RO nurse recommended a cream to be used 2x daily on the front of my upper torso, over the sholders around to the back. (Not to be used less than 4 hours before radiation). I used it as she said and had almost no sunburn effects from the radiation other than darkening of some warts and a mild itching. There was some redness which eventually faded. The surgeon who did the breast cancer also told me to use it after the free flap. I gave a tube to the ENT Oncologist and to the plastic surgeon who now recommends it to his patients. I used it on my face, neck and leg after the free flap reconstruction and am very pleased that I had little redness. After that surgery I also tendended to get very dry skin over my foot from edema and it helped there as well. My husband uses it on his elbows because they tend to get rough.

The cream is Skin Repair Cream by Medline. (medline.com 1-800-medline)

Hope this helps
Malka