Massage?

[manwithnoname]

So Dr.  Fielding never discusssed the need for massaging any areas related to scar tissue with me.

Firstly, howdo you establish what is and isn't scar tissue? Secondly, how exactly does the massaging work?

Thanks to everyonefor all the help so far, and future answers to my questions.

[Grandpa Bambu]

Dude...

No need to massage. Just let MoNa do her thing and be patient! 

GB...

[manwithnoname]

Ok, thanks a lot.

What is all the massage talk then? Is it specific to lipo only patients?

[juzeppe]

i think i wasnt told i need massage  so maybe its alrite

[Grandpa Bambu]

What is all the massage talk then? Is it specific to lipo only patients?

Many guys seem to think that the hard scar tissue that forms needs to be massaged in order for it to dissipate. You don't need to massage dude. Just give it some time and it will dissipate on its own... 

GB...

[don_joe]

I don't know...I have read on a couple of websites that massaging helped break down scar tissue before it gets mature...

[Pacifico]

Bambu it 100% Right.  Delgado never mentioned massage, so I figured he did not think much of it, as he is a pretty thorough guy.  So I said it to myself it must not be that important.  I had scar tissue allright, never touched it and now four monts post op it's almost all gone!  Massage is a joke.  Do you think that if you had a cut on your hand that required stitches, and you massaged the cut, that the scar would go away quicker?  NO NO NO.  Your body heals itself.  Next time you break a bone, go massage it, same thing will happen.  Nothing. 


Chances are if you massage all the time your scar tissue will stay longer, and you will never notice it dissapating either.  That will just drive you even more crazy!  Hey, but you had gyne, you just love something to worry about, so go massage yourself--your chest that is...

[dondante]

Hey guys, been lurking for awhile lately but wanted to weigh in on this one. I massaged diligently for almost 4 months, then stopped and watched as my scar tissue continued to clear itself up slowly without me massaging for the next nearly 2 months.

I still have residual scar tissue left and can feel that it's very slowly clearing itself up on it's own. Did my massaging during the first 4 months help? Hard to tell, scientific principles would point to my massaging being a placebo more than anything else, since the clearing up has continued without any effort from me. I guess the overriding question is, does it do any harm or impede the healing process? Using the logic the Pacifico did above, an argument could probably be made that it could potentially impede healing. It's a tough call, and clearly there isn't enough research out there to give us anything close to a definitive answer.

Would I massage the way I did, if I could do this over again, though? Probably not.

[manwithnoname]

I will go online and look for some massaging information. By the sounds of it, on the sheet Fiedling gives out, it says it is optional.That does sound like it means that it doesn't really do anything but you can if you want.

As far as massaging a cut goes, I am not even sure what that was supposed to argue, but I would much rather have a band aid on a cut, than nothing at all. And as for claiming it probably made the scar tissue last longer, I think the thing we need the least on this forum is wild speculation and fear mongering.

So far there is no evidence that anyone has offered to say that massaging does any damage.

Thanks Bambu for the advice, I knoweveryone including myself appreciates your posts.

[don_joe]

Hey guys, been lurking for awhile lately but wanted to weigh in on this one. I massaged diligently for almost 4 months, then stopped and watched as my scar tissue continued to clear itself up slowly without me massaging for the next nearly 2 months.

I still have residual scar tissue left and can feel that it's very slowly clearing itself up on it's own. Did my massaging during the first 4 months help? Hard to tell, scientific principles would point to my massaging being a placebo more than anything else, since the clearing up has continued without any effort from me. I guess the overriding question is, does it do any harm or impede the healing process? Using the logic the Pacifico did above, an argument could probably be made that it could potentially impede healing. It's a tough call, and clearly there isn't enough research out there to give us anything close to a definitive answer.

Would I massage the way I did, if I could do this over again, though? Probably not.

Hi Dondante,

Dr Lista was your surgeon, right ?  Have you been using Arnica Gel ?

I just bought my 3rd tube today, I'm 4 weeks post-op...

[dondante]

hey don_joe,

Yes, Dr. Lista was my surgeon, and I did use the Arnica gel. I definitely didn't go through a tube a week, though. I went through about 4 tubes over 4 months.

manwithnoname,

I'm not exactly sure if you're referring to my post when you talk about "wild speculation and fear mongering". I hope not, cuz I don't think I was doing anything of that sort. All I was saying is that there is no scientific evidence as to whether massaging helps, hurts, or does nothing - because there's been no scientific research done. So basically we're all speculating - not wildly - just relating our own personal experiences and coming to a wide spectrum of different conclusions on the subject.

The idea of massaging doing damage might not have been addressed here on these boards because if it DOES impede or slow down the healing process we really have no way of knowing it.

[manwithnoname]

My comments were in no way related to your post, I found it quite informative, balanced and well written.

[Pacifico]

As far as massaging a cut goes, I am not even sure what that was supposed to argue, but I would much rather have a band aid on a cut

Let me help you.  After you have a cut, you have a scar.  If you massage this surface scar, do you think it will go away?  It's a visual, that people can relate to and most would agree that massing your scar from the cut will not quicken the healing process.  It follows that the same applies to a scar under the skin.

[Merangue]

I met with Fielding today and asked him specifically about massaging. He said it's optional but that if I felt it necessary to wait AT LEAST 3 weeks before starting to do that. He recommended it only if the scar became "lumpy" in which case he mimicked taking his index finger and rubbing the skin where the scar is (like a back and forth motion, applying pressure with the one finger as needed). I asked him about "bio oil" and he said it was useful merely as a lubricant.

He also said that this is what you should do if you feel your nipples itching (instead of using nails to scratch it). Again wait 3 weeks before that.

So basically: massaging is optional unless you feel the scar is getting lumpy (it's still optional, he said it should sort itself out but you can do it if you want) or the nipples are itching (use the massaging technique but not your nails).

Hope that clears things up.

[manwithnoname]

Thanks for the post dude, nice job bringing up to the minute info to these discussions.

It actually brings up more questions for me. I always assumed the scar tissue people were talking about were from the scarring under the skin, caused by the lipo, as the wand makes many small tunnels into the fat layer. I never considered that people were just massaging the scar. If that is the case, then massaging the scar does seem strange to me. Can anyone who has had surgery with Lista and has been massaging clear up what it is they are actually doing?