BCG / tuberculosis shot - how to minimize scarring?

A

AudreysMom

Registered User
My daughter recieved tbe BCG vaccine (protecting against tuberculosis). I hear that the inoculation can leave a significant scar on her arm.
It's been 6 weeks since she got the vaccine and it's very
hard and red/purple right now. Perhaps this is silly, but
bc I am from the US, and do not have it, i feel so sad that
my daughter will have the scar. Any way to minimize the scarring? Anyone know of dermatologists or plastic surgeons successful in removing the scar after it's formed? *Thanks in advance. *
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yes, it leaves a scar. no, it's not a big deal. both of my kids have it. it really isn't such a big thing. i, personally, think there are many other more important things than a small (smaller than a dime) scar on their arm. (i'm from canada and don't have one either.)
 
My daughter had her BCG and the scar/scab looked like you describe for a while but she is almost 2 now and it looks like a small dimple on her upper arm. As Carang says, I wouldn't worry about it. I would rather she had a small scar than have to fight TB.
 
Yes I agree that the benefits of having the the vaccine far outweigh the scarring (obviously) but my question is whether any parent has been successful in minimizing or reducing the scarring. Any helpful info is appreciated.
 
Not all children scar with it though. It may be better to assess it in a few months when the red/purple blotch has gone and you can see what is left. As I said, my daughter's just looks like an indentation in her arm, more like a tiny pin prick.
 
my daughter got hers in the thigh, and the scarring seemed really awful for a long time. she's 3 now and I have to look for it. I was worried too. I hope you have the same experience as we did.
 
My older daughter is 2 and we didn't do anything to it and it didn't scar at all. The reaction was minimal.

My younger daughter is 1 and had a very big reaction that took months to subside and it is only now fading - but even with THAT, I think the final scar will only be maximum 2mm across!! Such a huge reaction, I was expecting the scar to be more like the size of a dime, but it's tiny...

I worried about it before I had kids and considered getting it done in their legs by a private doctor instead (the public ones will ONLY do it in the arm) but really the scar is SO tiny...

If you are really worried about it though, there are scar creams etc that I guess you could put on it, but I would wait until it is COMPLETELY dry and no more redness otherwise you may just be keeping it moist and making the scarring worse. I think that plastic surgery isn't necessary, even in the quite bad reactions...
 
do not pick it or touch it, just let it heal by itself.
i caught my 'experienced' pui yuet picking it - my son now has a scar from her actions.
 
don't touch it and keep it dry - don't pick at it ever! the scar is minimal not something to worry about - i worried so for my 1st daughter i had it done on her bikini line instead of her arm...of course you have to get that done by the private doctor though.
 
My daughter's had SO much pus that it would soak onto her clothing and get it dirty. It would go in cycles so sometimes it would be fine, other times it would just "pop" (by itself, I never touched it). After the first time, what I did was I stuck a non-stick bandage on her arm, an actual square piece of the bandage, not a band-aid, and I would fasten it just with two sides so that it had plenty of air-flow. For her bad reaction, this was a MUST because the first couple of times, it would pop onto her clothes and then dry and then get stuck, so to take her clothes off, we kind of had to rip the new scab off (disgusting, I know!!!). The non-stick bandage really helped because it could keep the area drier and also it really DIDN'T stick (unlike clothing) so it was easier to remove. There was once or twice that it was mildly stuck (not as bad as the clothes though!!) and I just put her in the bath with the bandage on and took it off when it was wet instead. It was much better...

That is only necessary if your daughter has a bigger reaction to the vaccine - my first daughter, I never noticed pus getting anywhere! But I do recommend it if she has a big reaction...
 
Thanks for the recommendations all. Spoke with a doctor friend. She said 70% won't get a scar or it's barely noticeable. Depending on genes and environment some could get a hypertropic or keloid scar (ugly scars)... Best thing is prevention of an ugly scar by not letting it get infected... She recommends keeping it covered so little one can't pick it and I could let her wear an arm band around the wound to give a little pressure. She said pressure can prevent keloids from scarring. hmm interesting.
 
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