Week 4
I went to the doctor yesterday for another post-op checkup. Dr. Gallaher in Knoxville, TN is the doctor that performed the surgery. He has been so great about what to do with the scar and what to expect. He has been very informative and realistic. He expect the scarring to take 8 months to diminish with my complexion. I’ve been continuing to use antibiotic ointment both in the morning and at night. I haven’t had any pain or itching. Starting next week I can use a hydroquinone cream which is used to bleach age spots. While the doctor isn’t “recommending” using the cream it could help to speed up the fading process. One of my best friends is school to be a physical therapist. Next weekend she will be teaching me scar massage therapy which is used on burn victims to minimize scarring. I figured it can’t hurt and maybe will even help. I was asked why I do not keep the scar covered with silicone bandages. My wound was covered with glue to prevent anything from getting inside and keeping the skin covered and most does not affect the healing. Here are my pictures from Week 4.
Week 4
And a close-up…
Week 4 Closeup
Jade replied:
Thank you for the update and for all the info, it’s very useful! It heals well and the scar is nice, I mean it’s gonna be a nice scar when it’s white, it already looks great, you made the good choice!
September 17, 2008 at 5:45 pm. Permalink.
Mike replied:
Same comment as Jade, it is healing very nicely and when later the scar will become white you almost won’t notice it at all. I am also very glad I chose the excision now, good luck with the further healing for now. Cheers
September 17, 2008 at 7:26 pm. Permalink.
Jade replied:
Mike, may I ask you the size of your tattoo and the location? How is it going? You got your first excision right? How do you feel?
September 17, 2008 at 8:11 pm. Permalink.
Mike replied:
Hi Jade, yes, I had one excision which almost completely took away the tattoo already, only a small part still to be done. My tatto was about 2.5 inches high and 1,5 inches wide. It was located on my upper arm. Healing is going very good. They advised me to take about 3 months before the next treatment. I will have it somewhere half October I think. Excision is much more painless than the laser treatments. I am surprised that laser removal is so popular since I almost never met people who were pleased with the results. It never completely disappears and you will always see what it has been before. The surgery completely gets rid of the image, and that is what most people are looking for. At least I am. They do it in 2 steps so the scar will be very small (like a pencil stripe). If they would have done it in one go, the pressure on the skin would be too high so you get a wider scar. It takes a bit more time but with a better result
September 17, 2008 at 8:46 pm. Permalink.
Jade replied:
Thank you so much. I am happy you are doing good and that you don’t have to do the laser anymore!
And I totally agree, this is strange that it’s so popular when nobody is really satisfied…maybe because surgery seems more serious and invasive people and surgeons don’t go for it easily.
Your tatto was pretty small, mine is bigger and they won’t be able to remove it without a tissue expansion before…I really hope I can find a surgeon that will agree to do that, I will fight for it!
This is so good to talk with people who go through the same issue!
Thanks for creating this blog!
September 18, 2008 at 1:35 am. Permalink.
Sarah replied:
Thanks so much for letting me know who did your surgery!
September 21, 2008 at 2:48 am. Permalink.