An astonishing example of a successful programme to minimise postoperative scarring

Get your reading glasses on folks, you're going to need them!

Seven weeks ago my ankle was sliced and diced with enough metal and screws inserted to hold down a Wellington roof!  One of my concerns was excessive scar formation, not just to the skin, but to the tissues such as the ligaments and tendons.  

Scar is necessary for knitting together damaged structures and providing a scaffold for healthy new tissue to grow. Scar formation is essential; but there is a Goldilocks zone - not to much and not too little - just right!  Too much and you end up with thickened, ugly tissue that has ongoing strictures and adhesions that limit function.  Scar tissue tends to shrink and harden over the year or so following injury and this can further bind down joints and tendons.

Post-operation, if the tissues swell too much, and the wound may open a little, stretching the stitches.   This is a frequent issue. The end result can be a broad, purple scar which can be quite unsightly.  My main concerns about visible scar are not cosmetic but to ensure that I restore to 100% strength and function.  This includes ensuring "healthy" scar and its timely removal once its job has been done.  This might sound like a fanciful goal that we have no influence over; but we actually do.  We know well the way scar is formed and modified over time and how this can be influenced by balancing minerals such as zinc and copper, the role of vitamin C in collagen formation and we now have systemic enzymes that soften scar and remove old scar.  Amazing and exciting! 

I began a programme of supplementing with special nutraceuticals that help to regulate scar formation and for aiding the removal of old scar and replacement with healthy new tissue.  I also took a number of things to control inflammation without interfering with healing.  The other thing I did for several weeks while in the plaster cast is keep my leg elevated most of the time other than when hopping from A to B.

Did it work?  Here are some photos of the scarring at 6.5 weeks.  You be the judge.

Spot the scar: Its a long slice along the medial malleolus of the tibia where the surgeon peeled the flesh back to insert some expensive hardware.

Can you see the scar over the ankle joint where the surgeon opened me up to reduce the dislocation and to insert some hardware?  Remind yourself that these are just 6 weeks old.

More visible than the other scars, this one is over where the most hardware was inserted to repair the shattered fibula.  Not bad eh?

Previous articles:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-two-weeks.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/sleep-deprivation-following-severe-leg.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-six-weeks-on.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-week.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/ankle-fracture-how-to-speed-bone.html

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Serrapeptase enzyme therapy: a promising line of treatment for Dupuytren's Contractures

"Greetings from Cambridge, England. It may be useful if I responsibly recount my serendipitous experience. Around two years back a colleague suggested I try a few low-power daily capsules to see whether sharp big-toe joint pain might be alleviated. Gout it resembled but gout it was NOT, as my general practitioner doctor discovered to his puzzlement when the standard uric acid lab test came back negative--nonetheless, stomach-irritating anti-inflams were offered with commiserations. I opted to try serrapeptase pills instead and found that the inflammation subsided quickly and with no stomach discomfort. 

An unexpected side-effect, however, was that dead-tissue collagen growths in my hands (bi-lateral Dupuytren's contractures) began to itch and tingle, and over the next couple of weeks finger dexterity loosened up noticeably. Background info: Two senior UK hand-surgeons, one of them US qualified, had advised against excision and z-plasty in my case as growths were judged aggressive and advanced, likely to recur within five years of surgery. I was encouraged to await availability of Santyl collagenase injection therapy (undergoing phase 3 trials and FDA control at Stoneybrook, Detroit, and elsewhere). 'Delay surgery as long as possible! Try and wait', said the surgeons. (And Phase 3 is not yet done.) Bent ring fingers have straightened up considerably as a result of my taking enteric coated serrapeptase, 30,000 iu each day over the last two years. The growths are visibly and palpably retreating, and I can now press my palms flat on a table top. Maybe the cords will wither away or snap and dissolve as I nowadays flex fingers to degrees which were impossible before. 

Presumably my lymph system is perforce processing a lot of dissolved dead tissue, unhealthy material, and this may well be a debilitating strain on the body's daily attempts to achieve homeostasis. I imagine that rises in temperature and occasional flu-like symptoms might be triggered when my body needs to rid itself of unwanted solutions. 

General practitioners seem puzzled and skeptical. They say nothing. A very senior hospital specialist treating chronic pain knows the enzyme and its use in state regulated medicine in Germany and Japan (for fibroids, blocked arteries, etc.), and has no reservations whatever about my using serrapeptase. I realise that this does not add up to longterm controlled trials and verifiable findings. Obviously I am pleased to get my hands back into better shape and fitness for purpose, but perhaps I am at risk as we do not know if longterm damage elsewhere in the body can result from bioactive agents taken extensively."

For more about serrapeptase, including side effects, go here: 

http://www.raysahelian.com/serrapeptase.html

___________________________

Gary:

Serrapeptase enzyme therapy is an exciting new line of therapy for a wide range of conditions that are associated with scar tissue buildup of which Dupuytren's contractures are one.  Dupuytren's is a rare condition; but one that I see often, possibly because I look for it.  It may be rare because the majority of cases are never identified or reported.  It is closely associated with chronic debilitating stress, as well as some dietary factors.  Many of my clients consult me for stress related matters.

Dupuytren's (du-pwe-TRANZ) contracture is a hand deformity that usually develops slowly, over years. Dupuytren's contracture affects a layer of tissue that lies under the skin of your palm. Knots of tissue form under the skin — eventually forming a thick cord that can pull one or more of your fingers into a bent position.

Once this occurs, the fingers affected by Dupuytren's contracture can't be straightened completely, which can complicate everyday activities such as placing your hands in your pockets, putting on gloves or shaking hands.

Serapeptase may help by gently dissolving scar tissue which is an exciting action.  From my limited experience of this relatively new therapy, it actually seems to work!

Although serrapeptase appears to be very safe, it is not completely without side effects, so one must exercise care, particularly if taking medications.  If you think serrapeptase may be beneficial for you, please consult a suitably trained and experienced health practitioner, such as myself, for professional advice and guidance.

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!