Cuts, Stitches, and Scar Tissue

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

So, I cut pretty easily and as a result have received a large number of stitches in my head over my (now) 116 fight career. I'm okay with that, it's part of my experience of being a fighter and it's a consequence of my style. But the scar tissue from cuts, unlike a broken bone that heals back stronger, is actually more prone to break again. Not "yay".

I'm wondering if anyone has any personal experience, old wives tales, stuff their crazy farmer grandfather did, etc. regarding sutures, cuts, scars, etc.

In terms of healing and reducing visible scars: aloe vera is awesome, vitamin E works, and silicon treatments (usually patches or you paint them on) seem to be good for keloid tissue, as is the product Hirudoid. Number one trick for reducing visibility: keep your scar out of sunlight and use SPF 50 any time you venture out.

What about skin toughening? In Thailand they put hot water on fighting chicken's faces to make the skin harder to scratch open. Old school boxers apparently washed their faces with vinegar and I have no idea if this did anything other than feel real manly and smell pretty unpleasant. Anyone know about these or others?

And sutures: if you get them, try to keep them dry as much as possible. If you can't stay away from training, you can put Vaseline over the lot of them while you train so the sweat and dirt stays out, then wash carefully afterward. In parts of your face that don't move much, like your hairline, 5 days is pretty solid before you can take them out. If it's on an eyebrow, or some part of your face that moves, leave them for a little longer. 

Attitude in Thailand is that you shouldn't fight for around 21 days (3 weeks) after the stitches come out to allow the wound to get strong. This "rule" is broken all the time though. My gyms never let me clinch with the stitches still in, but pads, bagwork, shadow, and a little sparring (with care and obviously not impacting the sutures) is all permitted.

Anyone? Doctors? Esthetitians? Dermatologists? Coaches? Moms? Folks who have had stitches?

[cjsreport]

Jack Dempsey soaked his face with beef brine to "toughen the skin"

http://www.biography.com/people/jack-dempsey-9271466

Apparently "toughening the skin" is not recommended any more

[Kaitlin Rose Young]

Sounds ridiculous but I've found leaving duct tape on it overnight seems to help soften/flatten the scars. It's probably similar to silicon patches, just cheaper.

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

Jack Dempsey soaked his face with beef brine to "toughen the skin"

http://www.biography.com/people/jack-dempsey-9271466

Apparently "toughening the skin" is not recommended any more

Yeah, I've read some "soaking in horse urine" stuff (knuckles, not the face) that I'm not a) willing nor b) able to try. Horse urine is harder to come by off the farm.

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

Sounds ridiculous but I've found leaving duct tape on it overnight seems to help soften/flatten the scars. It's probably similar to silicon patches, just cheaper.

Duct tape really does do everything. At what stage of healing do you start doing this and for how many nights/week, how long do you keep doing it, etc?

[JulianaRosa]

In all cuts i had, the ones in my face took about 10 days to heal. i had two on my foot which was the worst and was about 20 days to heal, as we move all time the cut .

what i do is to try let the cut totaly dry and protect from sun. i use the same instructions i did for my tattoos healing hehe. dont touch, keep dry and clean, if you need train, clean right after, no sun, no fat food and too much oil food and also i use some cream. 

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

In all cuts i had, the ones in my face took about 10 days to heal. i had two on my foot which was the worst and was about 20 days to heal, as we move all time the cut .

what i do is to try let the cut totaly dry and protect from sun. i use the same instructions i did for my tattoos healing hehe. dont touch, keep dry and clean, if you need train, clean right after, no sun, no fat food and too much oil food and also i use some cream. 

How did you cut your foot?!

Good advice, it is like a tattoo. What's the reason for avoiding fatty and oily food? Is it to keep your skin dry or is it for your immune system?

[Lobo11]

Recently received my first 7 stitches (noob) below my eye from a front kick.  All healed but massage therapist insists that I rub it every day until there are no lumps underneath. She swears that the scar tissue underneath will cause it to open up easier if not broken down.  Lumps have decreased significantly since mashing on it during my morning commute.

Also- coworker's kid had a cut that I would approximate would require 30 stitches.  He wanted minimal scarring on her face so he got a plastic surgeon that did 120 very small stitches.  The scar is way thinner than any I've ever seen.

 

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

Recently received my first 7 stitches (noob) below my eye from a front kick.  All healed but massage therapist insists that I rub it every day until there are no lumps underneath. She swears that the scar tissue underneath will cause it to open up easier if not broken down.  Lumps have decreased significantly since mashing on it during my morning commute.

Also- coworker's kid had a cut that I would approximate would require 30 stitches.  He wanted minimal scarring on her face so he got a plastic surgeon that did 120 very small stitches.  The scar is way thinner than any I've ever seen.

I'm way into this mashing down the lumps thing.

It's funny about your friend's kid's stitches. I've noticed some doctors out here will give women far more stitches than men in order to have a more aesthetically minimal scar. But as my forehead has become more riddled with scars, they don't bother as much. I got three stitches on what would surely have been 7-9 before.

[Wing W]

Many years ago had 7 stitches under my eyebrow from headbutt in a basketball match. My families all went nut. they simply take off any male chicken meat(promotes tissue grow, especially young tissues like a new wound, causing lumps) and soy souce(natural colorants) for the entire MONTH! Chinese believe.

rose hip oil is said to be good for scar recovery. But you have to be consistent applying it.

[emma]

I've noticed some doctors out here will give women far more stitches than men in order to have a more aesthetically minimal scar.

This was exactly my experience. I got my first cut on Friday, but it was only a tiny one. We were pretty sure didn't need any stitches at all, but some lady at the stadium kept urging me to go to the hospital, saying 'I think it's not beautiful for you'. I went there just to get it checked out, thinking I'd just get a dressing, and came out with eleven stitches. I'm pretty certain that if I'd been a male, they wouldn't have bothered. It was pretty annoying having to go through the whole process (and to pay for it!), when I didn't need to, but having a minimal scar is a bonus, I guess.

[Lobo11]

 

 

Like a boss...

[Paul M Greenhall]

Well not that its practical in any way as you cant really recreate the process, but for interest sake I will post it anyway.

I got a smallish triangle shaped scar on the bridge of the nose as a kid courtesy of running down a hill and then encountering a brick wall all of a sudden LOL

It has been there for about 30 years.

About a year ago I was helping to demolish a temporary wall in my sisters garage, I hit a small joining piece of wood with a hammer to dislodge it, unfortunately this caused it to ricochet back at me and net effect I got smashed over the bridge of the nose with the wood.

It cut open the skin and actually went over my old scar, I left a waterproof sticking plaster (we call it a bandaid in Australia) over it for about a week, it went all mushy and moist.

When I took it off after about a week, to my amazement the cut had healed and actually reduced the size of my old scar, it essentially grew new skin over it.

So now my scar is smaller and a different shape, pretty amazing. So whatever this moist liquid was that my body produced has pretty great healing properties.

So based on that experience, I would put a waterproof dressing over the wound and keep it nice and moist as the body heals really well on its own if it doesn't get dried out.

[Fighting Frog]

Each person reacts differently to injuries - for example, I tend to keloid and scar really badly. I've been putting BioOil onto my new abdominal scars and so far they are just neat purple lines; it's too soon to know how they're going to appear long term.

I've also heard that cocoa butter is good for reducing scars. I put it on my horse (who also scars easily) and there is only a tiny mark where she had her stitches.

As for facial scars on women: certainly in the recent past in the UK a facial injury to a woman was granted far greater compensation than a similiar injury on a man! However any surgeon will always try to minimise facial scarring on either sex.