# Vitamin E oil as scar reduction therapy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-e-oil-as-scar-reduction-therapy/306494>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 2, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-e-oil-as-scar-reduction-therapy/306494 "2005-06-02T03:37:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-e-oil-as-scar-reduction-therapy/306494/21 "2005-06-03T07:50:31Z")

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Sorry about that link. [This](http://tinyurl.com/28acp) should work

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-e-oil-as-scar-reduction-therapy/306494/22 "2005-06-03T08:53:00Z")

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Another non scientific post - I have operation scars on my left forearm dating from 1989, since my arm was in plaster for about two months after the operation the scars got no cream rubs / massages / human contact at all in their formative stage.

The scar along the ulna is a pure operation scar; flat, thin (2mm), straight with barely noticeable stich marks - by the time I first saw it it was neither raised nor too red. After a year or so it wasn’t anything to really catch the eye.

The other scar is part operation part trauma dammage (you can tell which is which by the style of healing). generally wider with more marked stiches. Part of it crosses over the top of the arm halfway down so, annoyingly, it’s often in my eye line. It used to change colour (an attractive mauve when cold, redder than usual when hot) but although it took longer to ‘settle down’ it did with no particular love and affection on my part. (Contrary to **InternetLegend** I deliberately exposed my arm to the sun - I’m pale skinned and hoped the scar would ‘stand out’ less on a tanned arm, sort of worked.)

The point of this ramble ? If I understood correctly yours is an scar **El\_Kabong** , the surgeons should have taken care to cut in the right direction for the skin on your arm which should aid healing. Time does come into it. And, as evidenced by **Cerowyn**'s post, some people just mark less than others. Use up your bottle of ‘E’ and try not to focus on how bad the scar looks when you see it but how bad it could have looked. Good luck.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-e-oil-as-scar-reduction-therapy/306494/23 "2005-06-03T13:16:25Z")

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missed out a ord in the last paragraph :smack:

“yours is an _operation_ scar …”

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**Author:** ![dlack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@dlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlack)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-e-oil-as-scar-reduction-therapy/306494/24 "2005-06-03T14:05:15Z")

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Here’s some anecdotal evidence …

I’ve had stitches several times, have never applied vitamin E (other than whatever I get in my diet), and all of the scars are barely visible after a couple of years.

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