The mastectomy scar

I’d be interested to hear if anyone has tried something called ‘snail gel’.
I had a mastectomy 4 weeks ago and the scar is still livid and very sore near my armpit.
I use pure Aloe Vera gel, followed by rosehip oil for suppleness, but it appears to have stalled.
I improved from week 2-3, then nothing. I read a couple of weeks ago in the paper about using
leeches for this sort of thing, but they were live leeches (yeaugh) and extremely expensive.
The pot of ‘snail gel’ said it was real snail slime- but would it work if it was potted up? I can
imagine such a thing being beneficial in its natural state, but can’t countenance bringing Sammies in from the garden and attaching them to myself. I’d just give it a go without asking you all, but it cost £20-odd and one of you might say it was rubbish. SO, has anybody found a miracle cream, gel or oil? I tend to
prefer ‘natural’ products rather than those derived from petrochemical sources. Isn’t it bad enough having the MS without this hideous reminder? I think I’d expected a neat French seam rather than something like the gathered top of a pair of red curtains.

sorry no help here i’m afraid… but i like your descriptions

lmao - never come across snail slime as a cure for scarring, and can’t imagine collecting all the little Brians from the garden to try! If it’s any consolation - the scar will flatten over time, and won’t always look so puckered and lumpy. I had my mx back in November, and it’s pretty much flattened out now - just a little puckered at the cleavage end of the scar - and it has already faded in colour. I didn’t really use anything much on mine (I do try to be high maintenance, but fail miserably) - but what most people recommended to me was Bio-Oil - which seems to work brilliantly on most types of scarring and stretchmark type stuff. I did buy some in Tescos, and think I actually got around to applying it once…

I think patience is the key. My wle scar healed quickly and was smooth. I had my mastectomy in April and still have some puckering although the scar line is thin and no redness. It has improved a lot, especially in the last 2 months. I hadn’t realised it would be like this but I think the bio oil has helped take the redness away from the scar x

Thanks all, that will save me some dosh! I can leave the snails to get on with their job of eating my hostas.
It is helpful to hear from you, as I have nothing to compare my scar with, but it sounds normal- well, as far as a mastectomy could ever be called normal. All seems so bizarre still, and I don’t fee like ‘me’ yet.

hi, must admit I havent heard of the snail thingy, lol,

bio oil is supposed to be good, but I dont think you should apply it on broken skin, so be a bit careful with that one,

all the best Liz x

hi there i just thought ide let you know , although ime still on sick leave having chemo for BC i work for holland and barrett and we sell the pots of snail gel that your talking about , i kid you not , big hugs xx

Hi I had my op 1st Feb,and my scar was quite bumpy. It was about a month before i could look at it let alone touch it, but physios recommend massaging scar with E45 moisturiser cream. I do this twice daily, and the bumps are going and scar is beginning to fade and feel smoother. Hope this helps. Lizanne.