Leftover Chicken Pox

I had chicken pox when I was very young and after it subsided I was left with one growth on top middle of chest that failed to go away.  I was advised by my doctor at the time to not have it removed.  Now I'm in my 20s and after my body grew significantly and after body building the growth has now stretched even further.  

It is not painful at all, it is merely a matter of cosmetics (aka, it looks really ugly).

Is this common?  Is there anyway to remove it (freeze it like a wart or something) without resorting to surgery?

Thank you very much (I will be glad to provide more info if needed)

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Your concern can be understood. Skin infections such as chicken pox do leave scars behind. Scarring often occurs after chickenpox, especially in older children and adults. The scars are round and “punched-out” in appearance, and are commonly called pock marks. Most pock marks come from spots that were not picked or scratched, and mild cases of chickenpox cause pock marks as often as more severe cases.

There are many treatments available for scarring depending on the persons requirements and suitability. These treatments can be beneficial to varying degrees and your doctor is the best person to decide which is best suitable.

As a general guide the treatment options range from local applications, superficial procedures such as microdermabrasion to lasers and cosmetic surgery. To treat chicken pox scars skin specialists first reduce underlying fibrous adhesions and later  either perform a dermal filler or stimulate new collagen growth with  Non Ablative Laser Rejuvenation.

It will be difficult to recommend a particular treatment to you but there are many options and medicinal products available. The best would be to talk to your doctor and then decide which treatment works best.

It is also important to understand that the skin has its own repair mechanism and gradually the repair would bring significant change. At the same time, medications have their limitations and there is a limit to which they can benefit.

Hope this helped you in some way.

Let us know if you may have any other questions.

Regards