As I mentioned a few days ago, I’d have a “Sherlock moment" to share with you all. So, here’s the photo of the “mystery lesion.”
What do you think happened and what should be done with a “mini-disaster” like this?
It’s a very superficial lesion, so I guess the guy scratched. What to do with it? no signs of infection, so it is sufficient to keep the area clean with warm water and soap. The scab will fall off in two or three days.
Dag-nab-it Jossie … you are right again. The lesion is from scratching at night (post treatment does itch on some folks). Still, I did “screw-up.”
I messed-up, because I didn’t notice the damage for (maybe) a couple days. If I had seen the “raw” skin, I would have applied the tape that doctor Chapple gave me. The tape is occlusive and keeps the moisture in. (There are several name-brands of this and I will check this at the drug store and get the names for you all.)
The problem with the “dry” scab is that it can form a matrix. Imagine that the skin heals around a wedge and then leaves a tiny dent in the skin (that normally goes away, but not always). So, what to do with this “hard” scab. Well, get it off … but don’t pick the thing.
When I noticed the scab, I applied Vaseline and a bandage. (The moisture comes from the skin itself, you only want to keep it in.) We worked all day and he took a bath that evening. The entire crust “fell off” as you can see in the photo below. Nicely, the epidermis had bridged the gap (there was a tiny dent) but as the skin filled in over the next couple days it looked like nothing had happened.
The second photo shows the area a few days later. I took this at 3:00 AM (before I drove him to the airport) and my stupid camera focused on the painting, so it’s out of focus. Still, what I wanted to show you is that “new” scabs appeared well-after the skin had healed from electrolysis. The cause? Again, scratching the skin at night. These will resolve and leave no mark. However, infection is always the worry and I put on some antiseptic before he left.
(As always these “mystery lesions” appear on the left side of a right-handed person, and on the right side of a left-handed person.)
Is this in the laser forum because the treatment is being done with laser or a mistake?