Seattle Plastic Surgeon tells the story of the Scab Fairy, a story that every parent needs to know.
Last week I had the opportunity to take care of a delightful little boy in the emergency room. He had a classic childhood injury: forehead vs coffee table. The table won (it always does) and he needed a half dozen sutures to sew up the deep, jagged gash in his forehead.
When he came to my office for suture removal, his suture line was scabby and crusty and this can make it hard to remove the teeny, tiny sutures. Now little kids do not like having anyone mess with their scabs but once I told him about the Scab Fairy, he became much more enthusiastic about the whole thing.
You see, the Scab Fairy visits every night looking for scabby Band-aids that good little children have placed under their pillow. Usually the Scab Fairy leaves something like a Hershey’s Kiss or even a little money. Once one of my children scored a Pop Tart! Once my little patient heard this, he was fine with me gently removing the Band-aid and underlying scab. I made sure to send this home with him in a little baggie.
So, all of you parents out there with active children: There will be scabs and you need to make friends with the Scab Fairy.
Thanks for reading! Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder.