# how can I get rid of this scar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458 "2002-12-09T05:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zia\_nova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bc79bd/32.png) [@zia\_nova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zia_nova)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/1 "2002-12-09T05:24:05Z")
About a year ago I got a cut on the back of my hand. It wasn’t _that_ deep but it was suprisingly wide. I only scratched it on a branch for crying out loud. Anyway, now I’ve got an interesting white/purple scar about a 1/2 inch wide decorating the back of my left hand. (would have to be the left wouldn’t it?!) It’s not noticable to the touch, my skin is more or less smooth, but it’s not the sort of look one wants if and when one ever gets given a wedding ring, if you get me. I have a myriad of scars from when I was a kid. I was always climbing trees, playing football, jumping ditches for the hell of it etc. But no, we’ve got to grow up and look pretty _sigh_ It’s been over a year since I got it and I tried cocoa butter for a while(granted I don’t do it as regularly as I should. Memory like a sieve!) but it’s still pretty…well, visible. Anyone got any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/2 "2002-12-09T05:29:21Z")
Try silicone sheeting. It should be available OTC or you could ask your doctor. You put it on rather like a tape over the scar and it will dramatically improve the appearance and healing of the scar. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/3 "2002-12-09T06:14:46Z")
Tattoo a [caduceus](http://www.kcatech.com/corpsman/caduceus.htm) over it using the staff to cover the straight line scar. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/4 "2002-12-09T06:18:48Z")
Vitamin E would probably work better than cocoa butter, unless there’s already vitamin E in the cocoa butter… I was intrigued by the Calliope’s reference to Silicone sheeting, so here are the fruits of my google on that: This one has some before/after pics to give you an idea of what to expect (it’s kinda gross, but nothing two graphic): [http://www.oldetymepharmacy.com/silk.html](http://www.oldetymepharmacy.com/silk.html) Here’s another one: [http://www.syprex.com/scars.cfm](http://www.syprex.com/scars.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/5 "2002-12-09T06:20:44Z")
…“two graphic” ??? Hmmm, I’m going to bed now. ---
**Author:** ![LoverBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@LoverBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoverBoy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/6 "2002-12-09T07:06:11Z")
FWIW / Anecdotal evidence, I got a scar on my forehead from the corner of a wooden coffee table (the corner was actually fairly dull, so the impact must have been a damned good one). I used some alpha-hydroxy lotion on it (came in a red box and a white tub with a screw-on lid, it might have been marketed towards anti-aging or something, I don’t remember.) It cleared the scar right up (although time and youth may have had something to do with it, and my forehead actually probably grew too.) ---
**Author:** ![zia\_nova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bc79bd/32.png) [@zia\_nova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zia_nova)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/7 "2002-12-09T07:14:48Z")
lol, thank you astro, I’ll keep that thought alive 🙂 [http://www.oldetymepharmacy.com/silk.html](http://www.oldetymepharmacy.com/silk.html) I looked here ^.My scar looks more like the Dog Bite Scar after treatment than any of the others in that it is mostly white. The edges are purple giving it a kind of…um…glowy look. Doesn’t sound bad but I don’t want a bright white, purple glowy scar! My skin feels more or less normal. Flat, elasticy. And yet there’s a scar Do I need something fancy like this SIL-K thing or should I just go for that alpha-hydroxy lotion thing to at least make it a normal colour? OH! Or will it heal up by itself if my skin feels normal? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/8 "2002-12-09T08:45:40Z")
I don’t think it matters what the skin feels like. If your scar is white and you can’t feel it, then the silicone sheeting thing probably won’t work. Here’s a quote from the FAQ on the Syprex site linked to above: > [@](#): > > Is Syprex for my skin type and scar? > Syprex Scar Sheet works on all skin types and is safe for use on children. Syprex will work on all scars except those that are flat and lighter than normal skin tone. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/9 "2002-12-09T10:51:12Z")
From the Sil-K website: > [@](#): > > To date, there is no confirmed scientific explanation for it’s mode of activity.Early research into silicone sheeting revealed that static electricity generated by friction produces a negatively charged electric field under the silicone sheet. As a result, displaced collagen in the scar is reorganized to create a smoother, flatter, more regular appearance to the skin. One proposed mechanism is the interaction of the negatively charged ions produced by the silicone and the ionic charges in the tissue fluids surrounding the scar causing involution of hypertrophic and keloid scars. There’s something about this that triggers my BS detector (I’ll admit this could be a false reading on my part). ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/10 "2002-12-09T10:56:56Z")
You could consult a plastic surgeon. This would not involve a commitment to surgery, but that is the sort of person who can give you your full range of options. You said you’ve had this a year… well, it probably won’t change a heck of a lot more on its own. The silcone sheeting works best earlier in the healing process, although it seems to have some effect no matter when used. But, as the prior post says, it doesn’t work for everything. If the scar is significantly lighter in color than the rest of your skin, there are a number of options, including make-up and, in extreme cases, tattooing to match the neighboring skin color (you need a GOOD tattooist for this, and it works better in some situations than others. And, needless to say, if you tan every summer you’ll still have a non-matching patch of skin, it just won’t be white.) But, really, a plastic surgeon is the best to consult if this is really bothering you. Sometimes they can do “scar revision”, which can dramatically improve the appearance of an old injury, and nowadays they do follow-up immediately with that silicone stuff. Yes, this option may cost you up to a couple thousand, but if it really bothers you, you might find it worth the cost. Appearances can count, and it’s _your_ hand. Really no sillier (actually, less silly) than the people who get nose jobs or their teeth whitened or their eyes lasered so they don’t need glasses anymore. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-this-scar/141458/11 "2002-12-09T12:11:19Z")
Vitamin E usually has worked for me. There is also an over-the-counter tube of stuff specifically for removing scars, it’s called “Mederma,” I’ve heard that it works well.