As the new Wickenburg Community Hospital Podiatrist, I am excited to serve the community of Wickenburg! I am also learning that Arizona has plenty of sunshine and outdoor activities. It made me think of my patients that have surgery and are trying to heal their incisions with as little scarring as possible.
A tip about post-surgical scars and the sun. Scar tissue does not respond well to tanning or burning from UV rays. It is very common for a scar to become blotchy and enlarged when exposed to the sun within the first year after surgery. It is difficult to hide your feet completely from the sun when trying to stay cool in the summer heat by wearing sandals. A good way to protect your surgical scar from burning or tanning is to use high spf stick sunscreen directly on the healed incision for the first year of healing. The stick sunscreen I am talking about is often used by surfers on their face and nose, or if someone has a fresh tattoo it is a good way to protect from burning and fading the tattoo. In this case, use the stick sunscreen directly on the scar and cover it completely to protect from UV sunshine. It is worth doing to keep the scar looking as inconspicuous as possible.
After the first year of healing, scars tend to be less sensitive to the sun and you can go back to wearing sandals without worrying about what the sun will do to your surgical incision. Have a great summer and protect those feet!
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About the Author:
A graduate of Brigham Young University with a BS in Exercise Science, Dr. Moore earned a medical degree at the California School of Podiatric Medicine and then went on to complete his podiatric residency at Intermountain Medical Center, Utah.As a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine; Dr. Tanner Moore specializes in all aspects of foot and ankle care, including surgical reconstruction, diabetic management, sports medicine and wound care.