Scar therapy is a gentle treatment that aims to alter the physical and mechanical properties of a scar by influencing the scar maturation process, promoting scar healing and minimizing long term complications.  Scar therapy also aids emotional recovery, helping patients with accepting their scar and the trauma related to the delivery. It is safe to start scar therapy from 6-8 weeks but there must be no infection and the scar must be fully closed with no scab or crust.

After any abdominal surgery there is above a 90% chance of developing scar adhesions. Scar adhesions are bands of scar tissue that can form between tissues or organs that are not normally connected.  Scar adhesions can attach on to the fascia (connective tissue), muscle, bowel, uterus, bladder, ovaries, fallopian tubes and can cause issues with bowel movements, bladder control, abdominal pain and pain elsewhere in the body ranging from the hips, back, ribs to shoulder. Scar therapy can help reduce the tension and restrictions caused by these adhesions, therefore improving symptoms. 

Patients come to me normally for 3 issues with their c-section scar.

  • 01

    They want to improve the appearance of the scar. Scar therapy can help with redness, thickness, hypertrophic scars, puckering, dipping and scar overhang.

  • 02

    They want to improve the function of their scar. Scar therapy can help reduce pulling, tightness, restrictions, pinching and catching of the scar with movement, exercise or even deep breathing.

  • 03

    They want to improve the altered sensation around the scar. Scar therapy can help improve numbness, burning, itching and pain.

Healing in Motion

As well as scar therapy, there are some other important factors to consider for good scar healing. In the early days of a c-section, it is important to move as normally as possible. Walking in a bent over position will lead to more tightness of the scar and therefore more discomfort so remember to walk in an upright position.

Watch for Infection

Be vigilant in the first few weeks with checking the scar for infection. An infected scar may be hot, red, may open or have discharge coming from it, there may be a smell and it will likely be tender. If you think you may have an infection, immediately see a doctor. An infection causes inflammation and inflammation delays healing and may lead to more scar tissue being laid down

Shield Your Scar

Scar tissue is very sensitive and it’s natural protection from UVB will have been damaged, so cover the area when in the sun and apply factor 50 sunscreen once it has healed.

I encourage women to begin touching around the area to help reconnect and desensitize the lower abdomen. I also recommended using silicone strips on the scar from 3-4 weeks post surgery and using rosehip oil once the scar is healed and there is no scab/crust on the scar. These help with hydration of the scar which is vital for good healing. Remember you also need good internal hydration so it is very important to drink at least 2l of water a day, more if you are breast feeding.

Laura Barrett

TMP Collaborator

Laura began her career in women’s health physiotherapy in 2004 after graduating with a first-class honours degree in physiotherapy from King’s College, London. Having initially gained valuable experience working in a large teaching hospital in London, Laura entered the private health sector in the UK in 2008 before moving to Dubai in 2010. 
From 2010 to 2017, Laura held multiple roles at polyclinics in Dubai, including Head of Women’s Health Physiotherapy & Clinical Pilates. Laura then returned to the UK, where she founded a successful Women’s Health Physiotherapy and Pilates business in Surrey and Oxfordshire before deciding to return to Dubai in 2021 with her husband and two young sons.
Having always practised within women’s health physiotherapy, Laura gained additional certification as a Mummy MOT® Practitioner and continues to ensure that pre-natal women are fit and healthy when entering this exciting phase of their lives and that post-natal women are supported in their recovery from pregnancy, through childbirth and into ‘mummy hood’, returning to work and exercise and having the confidence and ability to pursue previous or new hobbies.
Laura has also trained as a Restore Scar Therapy Practitioner offering scar therapy to all in Dubai including women following a c-section birth, mastectomies or gyneacological surgery.