Did you know that after you have had an operation regularly massaging the scar tissue can be beneficial to help improve the healing process? Once skin and muscle tissues have been cut they undergo a healing process externally and internally. Age and skin type can influence how a scar can heal and how long it can take, but massaging the area can also help.
During healing scar tissue can adhere stick to other tissues and organs after an operation creating adhesions. These are bands of scar tissue that can tighten and constrain external skin and internal tissues. As scar tissue forms slowly, regularly massaging the area can encourage it to form flatter improving the appearance externally as well as helping to soften adhesions internally, improving movement and reducing tightness.
Healing takes time and occurs in 4 stages. During surgery your abdomen is incised, your wound is repaired and healing commences. Here are the stages of the healing process:.
You can begin gentle massage after your 6 week check-up, or sooner if the scar is considered well healed. Initially, the scar may be quite tender, red, and painful and it may be best to work around the actual scar itself, working the tissues above and below it.
As the scar becomes less tender, you can follow this procedure with your fingers directly on top of the scar itself:. Just below the skin and fat is the muscular layer and you may or may not feel your abdominal muscles, but they are there. It is ok to feel slightly uncomfortable during this massage but it should not be painful. The last stage you are working down at quite a deep level. This is a guide to the frequency of massaging, but everyone is different, so develop a routine that feels comfortable for you.
