scar tissue

[pumpseeker]

How long does it take for scar tissue to go away after surgery? I had my surgery on April 7th and still have some scar tissue left.

Also what can I do to help speed up the process for removing my scar tissue?

[nope1]

up to 6 months...but should be 3 months...cortisone injections from your PS will get rid of the scar tissue...go to the Diaries forum, and see my diary around page 3...I had the same prob

[Grandpa Bambu]

I am 3 months post-op and still have some scar tissue RHS.

Some say massaging the afflicted area helps. I never did though. I'm in no rush to heal.

Was  very paranoid about it at one point though. However, with nope1's support, I was able to stay focused and survived the crisis.

Thanks nope1, U-Da-Man!

John.

[jonQ]

I've heard it can take up to a year to totally go away...i'm a little over 3 months post op and still have some scar tissue.

[nope1]

I am 3 months post-op and still have some scar tissue RHS.

Some say massaging the afflicted area helps. I never did though. I'm in no rush to heal.

Was  very paranoid about it at one point though. However, with nope1's support, I was able to stay focused and survived the crisis.

Thanks nope1, U-Da-Man!

John.

haha, wow, thanks!  pumpseeker...if you are 1 month post op, the scar tissue hasn't even finished forming, nevermind dissolving...book an appt with your PS and discuss when you can get some coritsone shots...tell him summer is coming and you want to enjoy it...he will understand...at 3 months post op, you may be able to do it...which will be July 7...you'll still have all summer!  But don't forget, this stuff usually goes away by 3 months with massaging...you're too early at this point to be worried

...it's extremely frustrating and depressing, but it gets better

[rcbrown23]

I've heard of people gettting the shots right when the scar tissue starts forming (week 3 or so) and this stops it in it's track and dissolves what is there.

That's what Dr. Hamas said he does.

[tonysoprano]

I am 6 weeks post-op and every day my scar tissue is thicker , harder and more painful than the day before, and my nipples are thus pufffier and puffier every day.
thats not what I'm totally worried about though.

what is really concerning me is that my incisions are widening, redenning, hardening and looking very conspicuous. They are starting to look like the kind of scars that are highly visible for life.

I havent noticed pics of anyone else here with such stand-out incision cut-marks... what to do.. help!!111

[Taz]

Tonysoprano- you may want to consult someone about your scars. They sound like keloid or hypertrophics scars.

If the scars are raised, red, slightly bigger but follow the incision line then they are most likely hypertrophic scars. These will fade and flatten with time, anything from 1 year to 5 years.

If the scars are raised and growing past the incisions boundaries in no uniform shape then they may well be keloid scars. These will never go away and may grow to a much larger size.

I am 20 months post op and it has become apparent that my body is terrible at healing traumatic scars. I once got a small glass gash on my back which went hypertrophic and took 18 months just to flatten out, it is still dark in colouration to this day. The scars from my surgery are still hypertrophic, but the colour is very slowly starting to fade. I still have immense amounts of scar tissue in my chest as well.

I've been told by my surgeon and other doctors that the scars will take another 1-2 years to heal, which almost makes my overall recovery time 4 years!

I had no idea that I was prone to hypertrophic scarring until I got the glass wound, and that was 22 years into my life. It only seems to happen to deep wounds.

There's plenty of sites with examples of keloids/hypertrophic scars, use google and you may see something that matches yours. I'd also recommend you see a doctor, just in case you have keloids which may need treatment to prevent further growth.

Hope this helps,

Taz

[tonysoprano]

thanks taz.
\
gulp-*


not the news I was wanting to hear, but hey...

gonna call my ps tomorrow and get back in to his office asap.

shit!]