My physical therapist looked at my scar today and announced that it was looking very "good." It made me wonder if she has ever announced that someone's scar looked really bad. Is how an incision turns out due to the surgeon 's talent or the physiology of the patient? Is it true that in a surgical teaching setting the experienced surgeon peels off his gloves and nods to the inexperienced resident, "you can close," as he exits the OR? Or did I just see that on TV?
There are many products on the over the counter market that are purported to improve the look of surgical scars. Onion oil is a key ingredient in one popular and expensive product. Vitamin oils, including E, sound good. I am using the Kinesio tape* on my scar even though I am a doubting Thomas. There does seem to be some credibility to the silicone sheet treatment but that may be as simple as retaining moisture in the site which is a good thing. Would plastic wrap and adhesive tape work just as well? Massage appears to be beneficial and any oil, even Vaseline, is a good vehicle.
The idea of treating scars with oil preparations isn't new. William Haubrich wrote in Medical Meanings (1997) that the Seneca Indians of Pennsylvania and New York used petroleum from oil deposits to treat cuts and wounds. By the 19 th century entrepreneurs of European ancestry (that's white men for the politically incorrect) realized the commercial value of this substance and bottled it for sale as a cure-all. Originally called Seneca oil, the pronunciation evolved into snake oil, in modern parlance, "a product of little real worth that is promoted as a solution to a medical problem."
However I consider my scar, whether I decide to hide it or expose it as a badge of courage and survival, I like what Garrison Keillor said, "It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars."
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