My 18 mo. took his first big tumble at the park :( and scraped his chin. There was some blood. I washed it gently and put on antibiotic.
My questions:
1. as we live in a sunny climate, should i put sunblock over the scab/scrape????
2. As he is teething and thus drooling, should i put anything else on the scab to protect it from the drool?
3. any other advice to encourage good healing and prevent any scarring?
Thank you for your patient and wise advice.
HI J.,
There's an ointment called Melagel that is basically a high grade tea tree oil in a beeswax base that will heal it very quickly. There's no sunscreen in it but the scape will be gone before it has a chance to get irritated.
Mim
Hi,
My pediatric dermatologist told me to use Mederma w/ sunscreen. It is a little expensive but I found it works. I also use pure vitamin e.
Maria
Most kids that young will not have a scar from a scrape. I've always used a thick lotion (with vit. E) on their scars/scrapes when they were healed enough and they've always went away.
My son (6yo) even burned his chin on a hot stoneware pan and it went away in about a month. And my daughter always scrapes up her knees and she has no scars either.
It seems as though their skin is so resilient, just keep it hydrated with lotion. I put it on them after every bath.
Sounds simple, but use a bandaid. Keeping it covered with an antibiotic cream or ointment on it will prevent it from scabbing, keep it clean and protect it from the sun.
I think scabs in kids aren't really a big deal when it comes to the sun, however the drying and crusting of a scab, peeling, bleeding again, etc. may lead to longer healing time.
Our pediatrician in the ER suggested keeping our daughter's stitches/scar covered all summer with a band aid to reduce scarring. Somehow the sun prevents the skin from healing well. So if it's deep, put a sun hat on him and cover it with a band aid. I kept some in the car to protect her "scar" wherever we went.
I think I'd focus on just keeping it clean until there is skin to put sunblock on, instead of scab. Neosporin or one of those greasy antibiotic ointments will help keep drool out of the wound, and I would cover the whole mess with a band-aid to keep the ointment on, if your son will leave a band-aid alone and not just pull it off. Good hygiene is the most important thing for healing.
I actually had a doctor prescribe using sunscreen on a facial abrasion to prevent scarring and speed up healing.
I also agree with the post on Melagel...it works amazing. I put it on all of out little boo-boos and it doesn't sting at all. Plus its safe for use on the face.
