Does anyone have any tips about minimizing the scars? I have just started using "palmers cocao butter scar reduction serum"- I have no idea if it is working. I also have some stretch marks I am trying to fade,

What are other peoples experiences of scarring, particularly those who have been banded a little while- how much scarring is left? Did you do anything to help it out?

I am hoping to minimize all of it!:flypig:

Adelaide, :welcomeB: to LBT! Take some time, look around here, there's loads of great info. One of those things is a fantastic thread about scar stages, where people post photos of how their scars are doing. Here's the link:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/

Also, when you post a thread the software does a search for related threads and provides a list of them at the bottom of the thread page. If you page down, you'll find a few threads about scars.

I know many folks try quite a few different things. Some swear by Mederma, other like pure Vitamin E oil from the capsules. Some love cocoa butter, or CCB with E. That's what I'm using. I spent five years working with burn victims and the topical we used to minimize scars was cocoa butter. But the key is to purchase either pure cocoa butter (which is pretty solid), or if you purchase a cream, it MUST have CCB as the number one or number two ingredient on the label, and should smell like a chocolate bar.

Hope this helps!

I was in a explosion 5 yrs. ago with 3rd degree burns over 33 percent of my body, from thighs down on both legs. There is pics on here somewhere with pics of them, anyways, today, you can't tell unless you really look. I had fabulous doctors, graphs, plastic surgeons and they told me to use the vitamin E oil in a liquid form in a little bottle at walmart in the vitamin isle. I used it every day for 1 year and I mean everyday. People don't believe me when I show them my legs so that's what I used on my scars from lb surgery and they are so faded you can only notice my port scar. I firmly believe if it can do that to 3rd degree burns it can fade anything. Give it a try.

I'd say the Vitamin E, or scar oil or whatever is on the market, is a way to go. You are also looking at genetics playing a large part. I've been lifting my shirt for folks showing them what goes into the surgery (the number and size of incisions) and everyone has been amazed (I am 2 months post-surgery) and said things like "They just look like little scratches!" I think when they turn whiter down the road I will hardly be able to notice them after a while. I started out with some of the scar lotion stuff, but blew it off after a few weeks. My scars are beautiful (as in nice straight pink thin lines) and even now I hardly notice them.

Of course, I also ran through a plate glass door in the 5th grade and have three extremely large scars on my legs where I had over 150 stitches to close the gashes. Scars don't bother me one whit. They are GREAT conversation pieces. WAR STORIES. Kindof like being in "THE CLUB" (the Club, if you don't know, are those folks who have the telltale scar under their chin.....many of us got them as children, it's a classic place to get a cut and makes for some great stories....I always look for peoples' "membership card" in the Club and ask them to tell their story...it's a real ice breaker).