surgical scars

I have a scar from surgery on my neck which is quite obvious and hard to cover up, I have been told Bio Oil is good to make the scar fainter in appearance and less red and I have also heard vitamin E is good for scars and lessens their appearance as well.  I want the scar as pale as possible as I am self conscious every time someone looks at my neck...

Is there any other creams or anything that will fade the scar??  Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks...Natalie

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For the scarring after surgery, it depends on the depth of skin involved. Age, incision and the color of the skin. Effective treatment consists of an alpha hydroxy acid gel or beta hydroxy acid gel.  Retin-A cream, alpha hydroxyacid peels, liquid nitrogen therapy and laser treatment are other options.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing

[Nat_16]

Thanks, I need to see the surgeon for post - op appointment this coming thursday so I'll see what he suggests.  Since I'm relatively young (im 19) i've been told the scar should heal quite well.  I'm thinking at the moment I'll see how it goes and hopefully it wont be too obvious once it starts to fade a bit.