Avoiding Chicken Pox Scars

Chicken pox just wouldn’t be chicken pox without a week to ten days of acute itching, followed by the appearance of a few small scars that eventually fade away to nothing.

Caused by the varicella-zoster virus, chicken pox is characterised by tiny blisters that are usually less than one-quarter of an inch wide. They eventually fill with fluid and then pop, leaving sores which crust over and then flake away.

Scars do not usually form when chicken pox occurs. Scars can form, however, when a blister becomes unbearably itchy and is then scratched, occasionally leading to an infection. So it’s not the pox that leads to scars, it’s the severity of the infection - and how well it is handled.

Some people choose to pay privately for the chicken pox vaccine, which is not 100 percent effective but will definitely lessen the severity of the infection should you get it, and therefore reduce the possibility of scarring. If you are interested, ask your GP for advice.

Others choose to handle the pox in a well-informed and sensitive manner, using local anaesthetic creams such as calamine lotion, fever reducers, pain medications and baths in lukewarm water to make the sufferer more comfortable.

Ways to Avoid Chicken Pox Scars

When it comes to avoiding chicken pox scars, then prevention, of course, is the best cure.

The best way to avoid scarring is to stop the itching - before it leads to infection. Here are some tried and tested methods to make your child as comfortable as possible:

• Get medications from your GP, such as calamine lotion, or other anti-itching creams. An ice cube placed directly onto the affected area will also make it feel less itchy.
• Take an antihistamine. Ask your GP about which one is best, based on the age of your child. This will also help your child to sleep better – a bonus for both of you!
• Pour a mugful of uncooked porridge oats into a muslin bag. Tie with a string. Run a lukewarm bath, then drop the bag in the water. Squeeze the oats repeatedly when wet, and a cloudy substance will emerge in the water. This will help stop the itching.
• For very young children, wearing scratch mitts may be necessary. You can also wrap their hands in gauze if they are too young to understand that they mustn’t scratch. Older children may still need constant reminding not to scratch.

When cases of severe chicken pox do lead to infection, often antibiotics will be required to clear the problem up completely. Some children look awful if they have very large blisters before the infection dries up all the way, but don’t worry: this doesn’t mean they will be more prone to permanent scarring.

Getting Rid of Scars

In some cases, however, those chicken pox scars are just that little bit deeper, and they don’t seem to fade when the infection is gone, no matter what you do. So what can be done?

If your child has a few chickenpox scars, try buying a silicone-based cream that contains zinc oxide. Apply it regularly and hopefully the scars will fade.

Adults who are worried about the look of their own childhood chicken pox scars can see a dermatologist and ask about a chemical peel, which can take off the top layer of the skin and make the scarring less noticeable.

For deep scars, laser therapy might also be of help to get rid of noticeable scarring in adults. Ask your GP for a recommendation of a qualified professional if you are concerned about scarring and want to try this route.

Better Now Than Later

The severity of a chicken pox infection will vary from child to child, and it’s a well-known fact that children who contract chicken pox from a sibling will probably have a more severe form of the infection. As a result, they will need more care to prevent scarring from occurring.

Whatever happens, keep in mind that getting chicken pox as an adult can have much more serious complications than getting the infection as a child. Chicken pox is almost always harmless to children, despite the appearance of that tell-tale scar in the middle of their forehead!

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