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I have a 4-year-old whose younger sibling scratched her on the face, leaving a minor "gouge" mark. It's been a couple of months since the incident, but the mark is still visible; the edges are very slightly raised and the mark is coloured (but has faded).

My guess is that being so young the mark will fade as she grows, but is it worth getting the mark cosmetically treated now, so the whole thing can heal as she grows?

By "treated" I'm thinking dermabrasion or laser or something similar (zero research done).

Has anyone else been in this situation? Were you happy with your decision? How did things turn out?

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  • There are special ointments designed to help heal skin. I have used such after a minor surgery. They may help repair the tissue, to a certain extent at least. Consult a doctor - dermatologist or surgeon (they ought to know a lot about scars...).
    – Dariusz
    Commented Aug 9, 2015 at 11:41
  • The best way to help scars it prevent them by moisturizing A LOT as they are healing. You can use any natural moisturizer but I suggest Coco butter or coconut oil. There are also creams you can purchase specifically to help heal things that could scar. Moisturizing is also how you prevent stretch marks; it helps keep the skin in the best health to heal cleanly.
    – user7678
    Commented Aug 27, 2015 at 17:23
  • My own experience. When I was 4, I fell and had a toy cut my nose. The scar slowly faded to nothing when I was 20. I did nothing special to make it fade or go away. I wasn't bothered by it, it was a fun story and made me feel unique. Likewise, I fell pretty badly on my knees while 10 or so, it slowly faded until gone when adult.
    – Ida
    Commented Aug 28, 2015 at 21:07
  • Hi I know this post was from a few years ago but I was wondering if the scar on your child’s face ever went away? My one year old son has the same type of scar on his cheek and I’ve been putting scar cream on it for almost 8 weeks now and it’s improved but it’s still visible.
    – Claire
    Commented Jan 1, 2020 at 20:18
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    @Claire Good news: The mark vanished after a couple of years! It faded steadily over time and was still visible (but very faint) for a year or so. My daughter's complexion is slightly olive, which I had heard is supposed to scar more noticably than fair complexion. Nevertheless, her skin is prefect now. We stopped treating it in any way after a couple of months when the skin had completely healed over. At that time, there was still some minor discoloration that could be noticed from a few feet away. After a year or two all traces gradually disappeared. Hope this info helps.
    – Bohemian
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 1:52

2 Answers 2

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The most effective way to prevent scar darkening is sun protection, since sun exposure can darken scars.

It's not clear from your post how severe the scar is. Unless it's disfiguring or disrupts physical movement or her self-esteem, I strongly recommend against any other interventions without consulting your pediatrician. Any skin concerns are usually referred out to pediatric plastic surgeons. Dermabrasion is, well, extremely abrasive, particularly on young skin and recommended for people 12+.

Don't forget, scars are a sign of strength and life well-lived! Don't worry too much about the appearance. I have facial scars and they're just a part of me.

Sources:

  • Me - I suffered second degree burns as an adolescent over 5-6 inches of my hip. It's on a bathing suit line, and the sunscreened half is almost invisible. The scars faded in about three years. The non-sunscreened half is barely visible.
  • My toddler has a nice lightning bolt scar on his forehead - healed very similarly to your daughter's scar. It's almost invisible two years later.
  • http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/wound-care-10/reducing-scars?page=2
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Actually, to give you my point of view about this topic I will write a bit about the same 'problem' that happened to me.

When I was a child, someone scratched me on my face (with his/her nail). Well, that happened when I was about 2yo, now I'm 18 and the scar remained on my face. It's not that you would immediately notice it but it is visible.

But that's just me and I suppose it depends even of the skin hardness and other things...

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