Gunner had surgery in 2011. His hair never grew back, his skin turned black, and the crisp outline of the surgical shave was still visible months later. Here’s how four months of Dermagic Skin Rescue Lotion brought the pink skin and fur back.
By Dr. Adelia Ritchie — Dermagic founder.
The starting point — November 2011
Gunner had surgery back in 2011, and after the surgical shaving, his hair never came back. His skin became blackened across the shaved area, with the crisp outline of the clipper still visible months later — a classic post-shave Black Skin Disease pattern.
So Gunner’s mom Stacy ordered DERMagic Skin Rescue Lotion and started massaging it into his skin every day, starting in November 2011.
Three months in — February 2012
By February, Stacy reported that pink skin was returning across the affected area — and that his skin felt warm to the touch. The old black skin had felt cold and dead, which is pretty accurate, really.
It takes some time for the lotion to penetrate and kill the yeast that’s disrupting the normal cycle of the hair follicles and skin cells deep in the skin. Once it does that, the new skin pushes through the old black layers and shows healthy pink colour again.
And whiskers — new hair — start to appear.
Four to five months in — March 2012
By the end of March 2012, Gunner’s beautiful fur-covered backside was on its way back to a full glorious coat and healthy skin. Just a bit more to go, and he’d be just about perfect again.
Why this happens after surgery
We’ve seen this pattern many times. Aggressive surgical shaving can introduce fungus and yeast deep into the skin and disrupt the normal cycle of hair follicles. The skin blackens, the hair doesn’t come back, and the dog is left with a permanent bald patch in the outline of the clipper.
DERMagic products have been helping dogs like Gunner for years — even when the veterinarians have given up.
A note for surgical shaves
Never shave a dog this aggressively. If your pet has to have surgery, please ask your vet to shave as little as possible and not so close. It’s not necessary in most cases, and you can see the harm it does.
If a close shave is unavoidable — for any breed of dog or cat — apply Skin Rescue Lotion to the shaved area daily for a few days afterward. That simple step prevents the fungal infection that drives this whole post-surgical Black Skin pattern and avoids possible permanent hair loss.
Gunner — thanks for being such a good sport about publicly displaying your little bottom. And no, your new hair does NOT make your butt look big.
For specific guidance after a surgical shave, email info@dermagic.eu or call 01624 829575.