Help with a scar on my face!

July 20, 2007 2:30 PM

Cat scratch~! My beloved high stung siamese got startled about two weeks ago and ran up my face. Luckily I'm not blind, though he got within an eyelash (seriously) of hitting my eyeball. I have a lumpy bit of scar in the circle under my eye and red thin lines from the top of my nose to my chin. I am allergic to mederma. What can I do to get rid of the scar (even medical procedure info welcomed) AND hide it in the meantime.

Please don't tell me to get rid of the cat. It wasn't his fault, it was an accident and he's quite ashamed (no really, when he gets in bed with me he puts his tail between his legs and he's one of the dominants in the household). I am currently using makeup forever concealer. But what foundation ? I need staying power in the heat/humidity and I'm very light skinned with reddish blond hair.

posted by pywacket to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

The sun is your biggest problem for permanent scarring/discoloration, so until it's fully healed use strong sunscreen at all times, and wear a hat as well.

In the meantime, try using Dermablend to conceal it.
posted by stefanie at 2:45 PM on July 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Best answer: my wife, the nearly "crazy cat lady" (only 5 cats, two more and she gets the full title) with some medical knowledge, stated that you should break open a vitamin E gelcap and rub it on the wound, careful not to get it in your eye. She also stated to be careful about topical steroids because if they are placed in the eye they can cause complications...
posted by HuronBob at 3:00 PM on July 20, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks Huronbob :-) We have 5 cats and my husband says I AM the crazy cat lady, so perhaps your wife has earned that title as well :-) I will get some vitamin E tomorrow.
posted by pywacket at 3:53 PM on July 20, 2007

The sun is your biggest problem for permanent scarring/discoloration, so until it's fully healed use strong sunscreen at all times, and wear a hat as well.

You can help keep the sun off the scar under your eye with sunglasses as well.

Preventing scarring aside (a very worthwhile endeavor!) don't be afraid to wear the scar with a bit of pride, as a conversation starter ("my cat thinks s/he's a lion") or as a way of finding out how many of your acquaintances have the guts to ask you a question like "oh my, what happened to your face?" -- plus it's always fun to watch nervous people try and fail to keep their eyes off of a fresh flesh rend.

i get enjoyment from the oddest things, in retrospect
posted by davejay at 4:51 PM on July 20, 2007

Response by poster: bwa ha ha Davejay--I did say something the other day to the effect of
"Oh that? Bengalese spider cat. You know, they -tell- you not to take off
your helmet but they don't tell you why.."

(as a good friend suggested)
posted by pywacket at 4:59 PM on July 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Sounds weird, but I'm gonna recommend what I mentioned a few months back: Preparation H.
posted by deern the headlice at 5:04 PM on July 20, 2007

I'm not sure how effective it would be two weeks after the fact, but when I was a kid, I got scratched on the face, under my nose, by our dog. I had two big scratches right under ther, it was awful, I looked like a little Hitler. My mom bought vitamin E and put it on the scar every night. It comes in little capsules, she poked one with a pin and just squeezed the stuff out and rubbed it on the scratches. Basically no visible scarring because of it. You probably could only tell it hadn't if you got RIGHT UP to my face, and even then, I'm probably the only person who can even see it because I know it's there.
posted by jessbrandi at 5:07 PM on July 20, 2007

ya know, the "badge of honor" thing works for me as well. When I was a kid, my sister the biology teacher had an injured red wing hawk that had been found and given to her... they were kept in a 10x4x6 covered cage, until they could be released.

one day while standing by the cage (I was about 12) the hawk took a dive, talons first, the side of the cage was a bit loose, and caught me just below the eye, about a 3 inch scar resulted..

many many many years later, there's still a mark... I love it!

and...like you said, don't blame the cat... my five have provided a number of scars, scratches, never their fault (other than being a bit clumsy and stupid)...
posted by HuronBob at 6:15 PM on July 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I asked the same question a few years back. The answers I got were useful, but there were a few comments by email and a chance meeting with a plastic surgeon at a conference which helped too. The email recommended "Bio Oil" - it includes a lot of the things that others were recommending, and is optimised for absorption. The plastic surgeon said that the things that help are

• keeping it moist and clean
• massaging the tissue to prevent buildup of ridges

So I used the Bio Oil a few times a day and vitamin E cream when I ran out. Now I have a scar that I see every day, but other people rarely notice. It is a very very faint line running from the bridge of my nose nearly to the nostril, and at the time was seven stitches worth of mess.
posted by handee at 2:34 AM on July 21, 2007

This won't help you hide or fix your scar but I also vote for the humor / badge of honor angle. I am also very fair (Irish heritage) and I have an ugly 12" scar in my arm from surgery a few years back.

When people ask me about it I look at them very seriously and tell them that I got into a knife fight in Tulsa, Oklahoma and almost went to jail for manslaughter (which is completely out of character for me). I'm always amazed how many people accept that at face value until I let them know that I am pulling their leg!
posted by SteveTheRed at 9:21 AM on July 21, 2007