Since my last post, I’ve had some ups and downs in regard to my keloid progress. So after my last excision surgery, I was on top of my follow up care. I wore embrace around the clock 24/7, and my skin didn’t like it. I got weird welts and cuts from the folds in the embrace tape. And because it was on my chest, the placement of the tape was always wrinkly due to the concave of my chest area. So instead of wearing the tape 24/7, I would wear it for a couple of days (as long as I possibly could keep it on, which usually lasted for about 4 days even though the package says it’s supposed to stay on for 10 days), then I would give my chest 1-2 days to breath a little before placing a new embrace tape on. Even though I wanted to keep the embrace on constantly, I had to give my skin a break so it would not react negatively. Ultimately, I think it was worth a shot to try embrace but it didn’t work for me. It was expensive too! A box of 3 embrace tapes for $35 on amazon; and I couldn’t reuse the tape once it fell off. Water would get into the wrinkles when I showered. It was just not very hygienic in my opinion but I’m sure it was a combination of the placement of the tape, my sensitive skin and sweat 😅
Sometime in May or June, my scars actually were so painful and tight. It was so scary! I was going through the pain again…I think it was a combination of stress and not wearing silicon tape over my scars. A family member had passed, and I was not staying home—so I didn’t have access to my silicon tape consistently. My keloid on my chest felt so hot. It felt like it was growing rapidly!
The physicians assistant that I’m working with has been trying out a new type of medicine (new to me) on me. In combination with kenalog injections, I’ve also been using 5-FU (fluorouracil) injections. Every 6 weeks, I have kenalog injections and in between those injections, I’ve been getting 5-FU injections every 2 weeks.
Week 0- kenalog
Week 2 - fluorouracil
Week 4 - fluorouracil
Week 6 - kenalog
I’ve been doing this since May, and although it’s been a slow process, I’m seeing some progress with flattening of my scars. My scars are less red. It’s also a lot softer and the PA thinks the 5-FU treatments are more effective for me. This week was actually a kenalog week, but we decided to skip it and go with 5-FU instead. I wish this medicine was used on me sooner.
Between injections, I’m wearing medical silicon tape constantly. All day, everyday. I like it way more than embrace. It’s softer and keeps my scars moisturized and I think it’s a huge part of why my scars are flattening.
Here’s an update of what my scars look like today:
