Alex will be 3 June 5th. He has a terrible scratch across the bridge of his nose, it is not too deep but doesn't look pretty by any means. Trouble is he won't leave it alone! The first time he tore the scab off he had been napping so I think it may have been an accident. It was starting to heal and I could tell it was starting to get a little tight and I had put some neosporin on it at bedtime so he wouldn't itch it. It looked great this morning, before he had a horrible temper tantrum and scratched at his face and tore the scab open, again...I don't want it to scar, I don't want him to keep tearing it open...is there anything under the sun I can do to hasten the healing process? I don't need advice about the tantrums lol, we have been dealing with this kind of behavior since he was very young, Alex has weekly therapy and no firm diagnosis, in the begining they were saying Autism now it is all sorts of less scary sounding disorders, but no one can seem to agree. Also I have already tried a bandaid, took me longer to get it on him then it did for him to rip it off. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks
B.
vitamins will help to heal more quickly. I can definitely recommend a good one if you want to go that route. You may be able to get a vitamin e cream at a health food store.
I know you said you don't want advice on tantrums, but do be aware that things you use to clean the house, or other chemical fumes could cause behavior issues. Contact me if I can help you on that too.
P.
Please be aware that melaleuca (tea tree oil) has been known in rare cases to cause breast enlargement in young boys and is suspected as an endocrine disruptor in girls, too. A strong concentration is a skin irritant, and I would be very cautious about using it where he might rub it into his eyes. Until further research proves it's a limited problem, I'd avoid using it except in very limited circumstances where children won't be exposed to it. It is a powerful cleaner and has strong antibiotic action, but other products do, too.
Very light applications of neosporin or any healing salve will probably be sufficient. If he scratches at it, there could be some itching, either from the dry scab pulling at surrounding skin during healing, or from the wound itself. A touch of cortizone cream should help with that.
Don't worry too much about scarring. Kids have an amazing ability to heal with little or no scarring. And if he does end up with a bit of a mark across his nose, it will probably be kind of cool, since he's a boy.
I see liquid bandage suggested. Probably another thing to avoid near his eyes. The two different types I've tried have stung like mad on an open wound.
Unfortunately, I've yet to see a response that's really steeped in medical or clinical evidence - sorry.
Tea tree oil is commonly used for a lot of things but has no clinical evidence submitted to the FDA in the US supporting any of its uses.
Neosporin is used both to moisturize and to help prevent infection.
There really is no way to make a scab heal more quickly - but most dermatologists will tell you that protecting it and making it moist will aide in the healing process and help prevent scarring.
Vitamin E lotion, oil or capsules (that you break open for liquid inside) are also usually recommended to help prevent scarring and to moisturize a wound.
I was a kid that constantly picked at scabs.
Unless you're worrying about scarring in a prominent place on his face, I'd say within a week to 10 days, you should see almost complete healing (as used in the Neosporin commercials)
Alex is so young, chances are it won't scar. That baby skin heals great! My daughter had her lipped stitched and soon there were no signs of anything happening. As for a fast healing, I think there are products out there that make things heal quick, I just never used them.
I would keep it moist with vaseline most of the time and neosporin twice a day. The only other thing you can do is talk to him about it. My 14 month old had a cut on his forehead a while back, and he kept picking the scab off. It stressed me out a lot, but I couldn't stop him when he was in bed, so I gave up. I couldn't reason with him like you probably can with a three year old. It took about a month to heal (should have taken a few days), but it was fine. There is a tiny scar, but they are so young, their skin will repair a lot. Just watch for infection, and remember that chicks dig scars. :)
Keep up with the Neosporin. If he's feeling it pull as it dries, try rubbing some Anbesol into it to keep it numbed up. If he's not feeling it he might be able to forget it and leave it alone.
capho phanique. Its in a little green jar. It smells very strong but helps cuts heal fast! Vitamin E oil is also a great natural way to heal cuts.
Melagel will cure it in a snap. If I'm in a pinch I use Neosporin or bacitracin.
Original Chap Stick. We have used it for years on all scrapes and owies and it heals very quickly. Good luck!
Do a google search for trace minerals or ask for it at your local herb store. A few drops will stop bleeding immediately. Also ask the herbalist there for advice, they have lots of tricks up their sleeve; just be sure to tell them he is 3. Healing is based on nutrition as well as love, so make sure he is eating very healthy. The better the diet, the faster the healing - your body just can't make much out of oreos, get it?
In any case, I would be tempted to tie his hands together during naptime. One day when I was driving, my 2 year old kept hitting my 5 year old. Since he had buttons on his shirts, I used the buttons to attach the sleeve ends to one another. He cried and I explained that I did it because he was hitting and that I would take them apart when we got home. He calmed down and rode home with no further incidents.
I sympathize with you for the tantrum difficulty. My boys are both pretty easy, and I think we all just have what we can handle. You sound like an extra patient mom, just keep going.
I would think some plain old Vaseline would do the trick. I like the suggestion about having him put it on, that may be less of a fight! Vaseline will keep it moist and that will help prevent it from scarring...and it's cheap!!!
have you tried the liquid bandaids?
google: SINGLE STEP Liquid Bandage
HI B.,
Melaleuca oil (high grade tea tree oil) will heal a small cut over night. It will also speed the scabbing process and prevent scarring if it hasn't already begun to scar. Just make sure he doesn't get it in his eyes. A bandaid would be appropriate.
M.
I agree with the Melaleuca oil. I work with a company that makes a neosporin-like ointment will the melaleuca oil in it, so that may help to speed up the process, and be a bit eaiser to put on with a bandaid. Let me know if I can help you find it.
J.
going out on a limb here! He's almost 3....so instead of Mom forcing the issue.....let him take responsibility for it.
Let Alex be in charge of putting the med on, let him open the bandaid, let him assist or be autonomous in each of these actions. That may turn him around! & I do realize that there are other issues here, but if you approach it calmly & hand the "control" over to him.....you may find a better response!
