Hello I’m planning to have surgery in summer. Can you recommend any treatments for scars? Creams or does even laser therapy help? How much time does the scar need to heal? No sun for a year? I hate this syndrome, plus going thru the hassle of doctors and finally getting surgery I think the cherry top is the scar. Do you have any recommendations for post surgery care ? Did you do both? I only have major pain in left side for the moment…
Thanks!
Stella
What Dr are you seeing and how do they do the procedure? Most of the ones you see recommended and have good testimonials have very minimal scaring. You can click my profile and see photos I’ve attached about scars. You probably don’t need to do anything dramatic. After some initial healing time you can for sure do creams if you want. I wear sunscreen because I’m quite pale, but I’ve not hid it from the sun.
@Stella1 - I’m so glad you’re scheduled for surgery. I had two surgeries - one for each side, but I highly recommend only doing the side that is bothering you & waiting to see if the other side becomes a problem before deciding on a second surgery. Do not get it shortened just because you know it’s long. We’ve had a few members who did that & regretted it because getting a non-symptomatic styloid removed ultimately put them in pain when they’d had none.
As @Andy89316 said, surgeons usually make the incisions in a neck crease so once they heal they are nearly invisible. Mine looked pretty awful 3 weeks after surgery but once healed in about 3-4 months they are very minimal (pictures below).
My surgeon recommended Mederma cream w/ sunscreen. I don’t know if it helped all that much but I used it. I was told no direct sun for 6 months so I just put stronger sunscreen on my neck if I was going to be outside for an extended time.
A number of our members have recommended silicone gel patches. Cica-Care Silicone Gel Adhesive Sheet (5" x 6") available on amazon have been highly recommended. You cut pieces to the size you need to cover your incision. With either a cream or silicone gel patch, you don’t start using them until your incision is healed which takes about 4 weeks post op.
As the others have said it does vary with different doctors & their technique, mine was more behind my ear & just a bit down the crease of my neck. Once it healed I massaged mine with bio-oil to stop it getting tight, but that was a few years ago so as @Isaiah_40_31 says the silicone gel patches that are available now seem good… Some members have had cold laser therapy I think maybe more for internal scarring rather than for appearance? If you needed that you would have to make sure the practitioner knows what they’re doing as there are structures in the neck like the thyroid gland which mustn’t be affected…
Have you got a definite date for surgery?
Hi there ! Glad your surgery is on the horizon. Surgeons tend to “hide” their incisions in natural creases and close them with sutures under the skin. My surgeons ( Drs. Lo and Costantino in New York ) also use a special dressing (Dermabond Prineo) to support the skin itself as it heals.
My dressing just came off yesterday and the incision looks great! I’m planning on protecting it from the sun for a couple of years. Once your scar is ready, you may be able to use an ointment or silicone sheet to minimize the scar.
I’m already feeling so much better - and remember, we’ve earned the scars !
Glad that your incision is looking good! It sounds bad but I was almost looking forward to having a scar so if people asked I could educate them about ES 
Stella -
I’ve been using a silicone scar sheet faithfully since my surgery on May 5th. My surgeon said to use it at least overnight but not more than 12 hours at a stretch. I have noticed that it has “flattened” the scar somewhat in about 4 weeks. I have four more to go. I also use scar gel (probably similar to Mederma) a few times a day. If you go out in the sun, cover the scar up! Use the silicone sheet or a scarf. Large hat and sunscreen are good as well.
Blessings- Rita
@Ritaweagle - WOW! Your incision & neck look so much better now! The incision will keep healing as time passes & will eventually become almost invisible. Thank you for sharing what has worked for you to reduce your scar. Your advice about scar sun protection is also excellent. I’m so glad to see how far along your healing has come! 
I’m planning to have surgery with Dr Moises Guererro in Guadalajara Mexico.
Yes I basically have pain on left side only…but seems both sides are almost the same lenght. But I have seen most of the people do both sides because later on the other side does hurt. And I’m not sure I can afford a second surgery again…I’m still waiting to see how much will my insurance will cover. But it’s quite expensive if it does not cover all…so I think it will be much cheaper if I do both the same time. But thanks for the comment…
Jaja good you don’t have a scar.
I was planning to have surgery beginning of July once my son is out of school. But I’m waiting on my insurance to see how much will it cover. I submitted all paperwork a couple of weeks ago…but they were authorizing very low budget. So I’m submitting again…such a hassle with the insurance. But at least I know I’m getting some coverage…just need to be patient. I think this is the way it goes with insurace…my husband did his back surgery and he also had the same issue. So just waiting in the insurance’s response.
Thank you I have hearad a lot about those magical silicone scar sheets.
I hope you can get this sorted out, definitely a hassle! 
That looks really good! 
