olive oil for massaging chest after surgery?

[beetlejuice]

anyone ever use olive oil to massage there chest after surgery?
went for my 1 month check up today.. doc told me to start massaging my chest with olive oil or cocoa butter..
and cocoa butter also for the scars..
any imput is appreciated! thaks

[krucial]

good question!!! sumthing to take notes on....

[headheldhigh01]

they used to use it for massage back in ancient mediterranean cultures i think, so it would probably work fine  

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

For general massage, olive oil is fine -- but so is any skin cream that can serve as a gentle and safe lubricant.

If you are massaging something into scars, then I find Vitamin E or Mederma or Scarguard to work well.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

anyone ever use olive oil to massage there chest after surgery?
went for my 1 month check up today.. doc told me to start massaging my chest with olive oil or cocoa butter..
and cocoa butter also for the scars..
any imput is appreciated! thaks

There are no decent studies over which agent is better for After Surgery Scar Care. The main limiting factor is lack of a reproducible measuring system to demonstrate scars vs. normal tissues to test how effective each method offer.  Studies are therefore subjective.

Because of its odor, I do not recommend Olive Oil for scar care.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

[beetlejuice]

thanks for the info peeps and docs..
vitamin e? lotion or oil? im talking about massaging..
is it true that massaging can sometime help with inverted nipples or craters?
thanks guys..

[fluffy_tits]

I was never told anything about massaging but when i go for next appointment wed. imma ask but i don't think i need it.  when i get out the shower i put cocobutter on mah chest and body cause i have dry skin that's the only reason why though

[DrBermant]

thanks for the info peeps and docs..
vitamin e? lotion or oil? im talking about massaging..
is it true that massaging can sometime help with inverted nipples or craters?
thanks guys..

After Surgery Scar Care and Compression Garments can help optimize scars, but there are limits.  True Crater Deformity Complications and Male Inverted Nipple Deformity are better managed by prevention and may need revision surgery.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

When and whether to massage the chest after surgery is up to an individual surgeon's judgment and experience.

Most of my patients don't require massage at all.  If I do feel it is indicated, I will usually wait at least 6-8 weeks after surgery for fear that earlier massage may indeed produce even more swelling.

Dr Jacobs