Q My little girl who is two years old has just had chicken pox. She didn't scratch the scabs. But some of them were rubbed off accidentally, or they just fell off. I can see that there are little indentations where that occurred. Does that mean she'll have deep scars? She has a couple on her forehead and a few on her body. Is there any cream I can use to minimise scarring?

A Indentation scars are quite common after a chicken pox infection. Some are more severe while others are milder. It is hard to predict now how deep her indentations are going to be while healing is taking place. You may want to consult a doctor before applying any medication on the scars. There are over-the-counter scar improvement creams e.g. ScarFade and Dermatix. Prescription-only creams are generally better than over-the-counter ones.

Associate Professor Wong Soon Tee

Associate Professor Wong Soon Tee is a consultant dermatologist & physician at Raffles Hospital.

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on May 28,2008.