The most concerning part of having surgery is the worry of the resulting scars. Therefore for transgender people who choose to have surgery, finding the best scar care products is essential. Over the course of my medical transition, I have used many different skin cand scar care products. I thought it might be helpful to compile a blog sharing my favorite products, and the best ways I have found to use them.
It is important to remember that scar care is a holistic approach. It’s not just what we use on the scars, but also our overall health which determines the outcome of the appearance of a scar. You can read more about all the health factors involved in my how to reduce scars blog post.
The following are my top favorite scar care products from my own personal experience*. Do please remember that everyone’s healing is different, and should you have any concerns you should always consult with your doctor.
Massage Oils for Scar Care
As I have mentioned many times before, the biggest impact on scar healing is massage and moisture. Oil is exceptionally good for massage, as it helps the hands glide easily over the skin. Oil is also exceptionally good for providing lots of moisture and preventing the skin drying out. There are some oils which are reputed to have excellent skin healing properties.
Tamanu Oil
Tamanu oil is my favorite massage oil and it is known for its skin healing properties. Make sure you buy one which is unrefined, organic, and cold-pressed.
I have used tamanu for all my surgery recoveries as a scar massage oil. It does have a fairly strong smell, so some people prefer to mix it with another good quality oil.
Rosehip Seed Oil
If you wish to mix your tamanu to reduce the smell, rosehip seed oil has equally good skin benefis.
I used a combination of these two oils rosehip and tamanu, thought all my surgeries. When I mixed the oils, I used a 60 tamanu/40 rosehip ratio.
Massage Oil Is Best For
- Early days post -op
- All over scar care – top and lower surgery
Oil is great for every area of the body, whether that is top or lower surgery scars. It is particularly best for massaging scars and I especially recommend oil for the early days of the healing process. A good quality oil makes it easy to cover the entire area in moisture and to leave the skin really nourished. I explain how to massage scars in the video below.
Kelo -Cote Silicone Scar Treatment
Kelo-cote is fantastic scar care for two main reasons. The first reason is that silicone is well known for its scar healing and improvement properties. The second reason is that Kelo-cote works as a barrier, sealing over the top of a scar to lock in moisture.
Kele-cote is Best For
- Problematic scars (raised, red, or keloid scars)
- Small areas
Top Surgery Scar Care
I found used Kelo-cote to be particularly useful after my top surgery procedure. I used it daily on my incision lines, from six weeks to a year post-op. It isn’t cheap, but a little goes a very long way. You just need a tiny pea size amount, which you thinly spread over the scar line after moisturizing. Applying Kelo-cote after massaging with oil, helps to lock in the moisture as I explain in the video mentioned earlier.
Lower Surgery Scar Care
Because Kelo-cote isn’t cheap, it is better used on smaller areas, and therefore wasn’t as useful after my lower surgery procedure. However, I did use Kelo-cote on a few small areas that were not healing as well as I liked. For example, I used it on the outside edge of my skin graft, where the graft hadn’t taken as well and had some raised and purple scarring. It did help significantly, to improve the appearance of these small problem areas. You can see an example of the scar care routine I used in the video below.
Palmers Coco Butter Forumla
Palmer’s Original Solid
Palmer’s original solid contains the highest concentration of cocoa butter. I love this stuff, I love how it absorbs into my skin and I adore the smell! I used to use it years ago and recently rediscovered it.
Palmers Original Solid Swivel Stick
I also love that you can buy a mini swivel stick of Palmers. This stick is great to keep with you on the move, so you can easily apply a little to scars throughout the day to keep them moist. I carry one with me all the time so that I can quickly apply some to my graft arm if it starts feeling dry.
Palmer’s is Best For
- Use from a year post-op
- All over scar care and large areas
- Great for dry skin on skin grafts
- To keep tattoos fresh – especially if the tattoo is a scar cover
Palmer’s solid can be used anywhere and everywhere. It is slick enough to use for massage, but personally I would use it as I did, later on in the healing process, when you arent massaging as much, but still need good moisture.
Another reason to not use Palmer’s earlier on in the healing process is because of the impact vitamin E may have on your scars. Although said to be good for the skin in general, there have been studies that state the using a product containing vitamin E might make scars worse. For this reason, I avoided anything with a high vitamin E content when I was in the early days post-op.
Lower Surgery Skin Grafts Scar Care
I have found Palmer’s most useful on my arm skin graft from my phalloplasty procedure. My skin graft can often get very dry, but using tamanu was just a bit too oily to use all the time on my arm. Using Palmer’s on my arm has made such a difference and my skin there is far less dry. Additionally, it also is helping to care for my tattoo scar covering.
Now that I am a few years post-op from all my surgeries, I use palmers everywhere, on all my scars from top and lower surgery. I find it is also really helping the scars under my bum checks where they took the replacement skin. That area can often get tight and sore, and Palmer’s really helps
Additionally, I am very mindful that my penis is made from skin from my arm, and therefore is likely to suffer the same aging as the rest of my skin does. Therefore, I make sure to give him lots of moisture too. After every shower and bath, I cover myself head to foot in Palmers. It absorbs really quickly and leaves everything feeling soft and subtle. A tub lasts a very long time too, so it’s also very economical.
I hope that was helpful, please do leave me a comment and let me know!
Helpful Phalloplasty Resources
I have written a book detailing the entire process of phalloplasty from decision-making to completion. More info here.
A list of additional phalloplasty videos and blogs can be found in my content index If you would like to ask any questions or request some blogs or videos you would like to see, please send me a message.
I have additional video resources, showing a completed phalloplasty result on my Ko-fi page.
For any trans people exploring surgery options, or going through surgery, I offer email support and mentoring on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis. I am always happy to help.
Hello! My name is Finn and I have a passion for creating honest content, that inspires personal growth and promotes well-being.
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*Please note, this blog contains affiliate links which means when you buy through me. I may make a little commission. However, this is of no extra cost to you, and I only recommend products that I have personally found helpful.
[…] having a lie-in, is to have a warm shower, treat my body to a quick moisture massage with good skincare, and put on clean […]
[…] The skin quality of my graft is really good. However, the skin is prone to getting quite dry. Grafted skin needs additional moisture and I apply moisture a few times a day. I’m vigilant about this because I am not getting any younger and I do not know how well my graft will age. I share some of my favorite scar care products in a recent blog. […]
My husband has a lot of scars from his recent surgeries related to his cancer battle so this info is really useful — Thank you so much for sharing!
I am so glad to hear that. I realized that a lot of the info I write around surgery and recovery, would be equally relevant to folks who weren’t trans, so I wrote this more generic post, very glad it was useful. Hope your husband is doing well?
I have a scar on my lips it’s due to some stiches is there anything I can do for it?
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It would depend on how old it is. But, even an older scar can benefit from lots of moisture to help make it more supple. Kelo-cote can also help with scars that have healed in problematic ways, ie if they are raised or red. Id suggest starting with a good oil and some gentle massage of the lip area. Hope that helps!
Never heard of a lot of these so thank you for sharing, I do love palmers though!
Palmers is so lovley isnt it! Thanks for reading, and for your comment!
I never thought of using oils on my scars, I honestly haven’t even thought of using anything for my surgery scars. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for reading! Yes, oil is such an incredible product for scars 🙂