things that can be done with surgical scars

surgical scars are tough, fibrous, poorly vascularized stuff with entrapped nerves that can cause pain.  the fibers are usually laid down kind of willynilly, whichever way they happen to grow.  this is reasonable because the wound has to be knit together and the tissues rejoined but it is also complicating.  the goal of post-surgical scar amelioration is to allow ordinary tissues to infiltrate into the scar zone to soften, disperse, shrink the scar.  infiltration happens naturally but the process can be helped with manual manipulation.  if the scar is big enough it will be impossible to get rid of it completely but improvements can always be made.

the center of the scar relatively hard but there are threads of the connective stuff projecting out into the healthy tissue.  they have to be there to anchor the scar.  they limit movement of course.  if we think of them as pathological we call them adhesions.  these are subjects of possible amelioration too.

the method:
1. while the stiches are in gently stroke the area around the scar in radial lines from about an inch or two from the stiches out, the general idea to "encourage" the excess fluid of the swelling away from the trauma zone.  as days go by a little more vigor perhaps, and maybe eventually some small circular motions with light finger pressure.  avoid pulling on the stitches. 
   pain: if there is pain try to find out exactly what it is at what intensity, don't do that.  as the amelioration continues try advancing into the pain zone, see if it can be rolled back.
2. after the stitches are out start working directly on the scar. 
a. the skin scar will be adhesed to under layers, eventually one wants to separate the layers.  take scar between thumb & finger, push it transversely back & forth, if there is pain explore it, avoid tearing things but allow stretching to occur.
b. also use fingers to dig under the scar.
c. to promote infiltration of normal tissue into the scar hold the scar itself by pressing directly down on it with a thumb or other finger, dig in lightly just lateral to that hold down finger, give it a little yank.  if pain expect it to diminish over time.

with new scars nice results can be obtained: they look and feel better.  as time goes on the scar shrinks & hardens and it becomes harder to get results, but still something can be done.

ask me questions.