Ok, here's my harrowing tale...in February, I fell over onto concrete and cut my knee open. I just cleaned it up, put a dressing on it and carried on - as a clumsy child and even clumsier adult I'm used to these kind of scrapes and bumps by now.
When I looked at it the next day I realised it probably needed stitched up (which means it was a LOT worse than I thought, and pretty horrendous looking) so I trotted off to A&E to be told that I'd missed the 12 hour window to get stitches as if there was any infection or dirt in there, they'd just be sewing it in. So, after months of it just being open, and having to dress it and be careful not to put pressure on it it's finally healed. And left quite a horrible scar in its wake. It's dark, wide and long - everything you don't want a scar to be. I won't post pictures or anything, don't worry!
So, I've been looking for ways to minimise the appearance of this scar. It can be covered with quite a lot of make up, but I'd rather not have to do that every time I get my legs out. Plus it's getting in the way of shaving my legs which is really not a good look!
I was sent a new healing gel to try. It's called HEAL and has been developed by five of the UK's leading plastic surgeons, known as The Firm (ooh-er!) and Colette Haydon, a leading chemist. They've combined their specialist knowledge and clinical experience in anti-ageing, healing and nanotechnology to create a formula that is anti-inflammatory, bruise-solving and improves scar maturation with a combination of active ingredients packaged and nanotechnology apparently!
Here's a slightly better bit of information from the press release:
HEAL combines a triple method of action which works to soothe the closed wound – using Arnica, Haloxyl and Glistin, to reduce heat sensation and discomfort; repair the damage – using Collaxyl protein fractions to promote cellular repair and optimise scar healing with Silicone. For the past two years The Firm have tested HEAL in their clinical practice, London Plastic Surgery Associates (www.lpsa.co.uk) where every year hundreds of patients have undergone facelift, rhinoplasty and breast surgery.
Here's a list of the ingredients, some of them are pretty well-known for their healing properties:
I do feel that this cream and the action of massaging it in has made a difference - my scar looks much flatter and lighter than it did, and my boyfriend has even commented that it's suddenly looking a lot better. It's also feeling less painful/tender than it was but this may well be down to the passing of time, as it's now been about 3 months since I first did it. I also liked that the gel feels very cooling when applied. I wasn't that keen on the packaging as I feel it looks quite clinical (plus it's a jar you have to dip your finger into) and it smells a bit herbal, but neither of these factors are really an issue for me. From my own personal experience, I would recommend this for others looking to improve the appearance of a fairly new-ish scar.
HEAL is available online at http://www.healgelshop.com/ and costs £33.50 for a 30 ml jar.
