Rash on old scar

[Shari]

Back in the winter, I crashed my horse and ended up stuck in a wrist brace for a few months. The first one they put me in had neoprene in it, which I am highly allergic to. The skin on the inside of my wrist literally sloughed off in an area roughly the size of half a dollar bill. I had a leather brace made, but it took a long time to heal, and you can easily see the scarring from it.

I've had repeated breakouts in that area, and right now, the entire area where the skin was compormised is either raw, scabbed over, or covered with tiny blisters. No where else is.

This is by far the worst its ever been since it initially healed.

Any idea what's causing this or what I can do about it?

 

[Mattsmom277]

I don't have identical experience, but I have scars from breast reduction surgery and my easy child has a big scar from her appendectomy. Both of us have problems at times with the scarred area getting rashes, burns etc.

What I do ... keep it dry. We use polysporin triple action ointment and it works like a charm to heal the area. It prevents infection if the skin cracks, promotes rapid healing and tries to reduce scarring. I tend to put it on a few times a day, leaving it soak right in and then have a period of several areas with the area dry before I reapply.

Sorry you're dealing with that, it is a real problem with me and I've tried several things but this seems to do the trick over other things

 

[gcvmom]

Could be that skin is now hypersensitive to something you've been using... dish soap? shampoo? hand soap? Could be any of those. I have areas on the palm side of two fingers that are hypersensitive to certain soaps. And once they blister and inflame it takes a long time to get it to heal. My doctor rx'd triamcinolone (sp?) ointment/cream because cortisone just wasn't cutting it. I have to keep the area slathered in that for several days and keep it out of contact with any possible irritants (which is really hard to do) for it to heal. I think stress makes it more sensitive too.

You couldn't POSSIBLY be under any stress now, could you?

 

[susiestar]

First of all, have you asked your doctor about it? It sounds super sensitive and it is likely reacting to something/things that you are using. Soap, laundry detergent or softener, sleeves, etc... Sometimes the sun can cause problems. Make sure you have enough Vitamin D in your system, just to be sure.

The triple antibiotic ointment/cream (aka polysporin) with pain relief is what I would try first. The pain relief comes from pramoxine and is quite helpful.

If you have already tried this, and possibly allergy ointment (benadryl makes one I think), you can try some other things. If the skin is NOT open like a wound that hasn't scabbed yet, you can try BurnJel Plus. It is in the first aid section of Walmart, by the antibiotic ointment. BurnJel Plus has tea tree oil in it, along with lidocaine. I have found it to help quite a few skin problems. We have used it on burns and it is excellent, but it helps so much more than just burns. It helps heal sores and when my scars get itchy and irritated this seems to really soothe them. If there is infection, the tea tree oil in it is very effective at getting rid of it.

I also recommend some natural remedies. Emu oil is great for scars and sores and all types of rashes except poison ive/oak/sumac. Not sure why/how it helps, but it is great. Pumpkin seed oil is also wonderful. It is packed with antioxidants and really speeds healing and soothes irritation and inflammation. You can also use your pumpkin seed oil for cooking - just google recipes using pumpkin seed oil. It adds a nutty flavor and a ton of antioxidants and other things that are excellent for your health.

If you think there is infection or something else tea tree oil can help, mix a few drops into a teaspoon or two of emu oil and store it in a little container. Keepclosed tightly, away from children, store it out of light (in a drawer or cabinet) and use it a couple of times a day (or after you wash your hands each time) and use as often as needed.

You can get the supplies on ebay if they are not sold locally. be sure to use 100% shea butter and not some jar of stuff that says shea butter but has a bunch of other ingredients.