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If you had a C-section to deliver your baby, then having a scar from the incision tells the story and is perfectly normal. As with any surgery, it’s very important to take care of the incisions which will help to reduce or minimize the scarring. I hate to tell you, but C-section scars won’t go away completely.
They will usually fade with time and become a thin line. Now, depending on your skin type, they may not fade away on their own, and some information below may help you lessen the appearance of C-section scars.
Before talking about treatment and options available, let’s talk about C-section incisions, scars, and symptoms of a scar infection.
Types of C-Section Incisions
A C-section incision is not just a single cut. Your baby doctor makes two incisions, one on the lower abdomen and the other into your uterus to yank that baby out and smack it on the bum. The lower abdomen incision can be performed in two different ways, let me put my jargon hat on:
Horizontal Incision: most deliveries are performed through horizontal cuts. The 4 to 6-inch incision is made at the lowest part of the uterus and is also called a “bikini cut or low-transverse incision”. It’s pretty common because it’s less visible and less painful compared to the vertical incision, winning!
Vertical Incision: Vertical incisions are mostly performed in emergency C-sections where the incision is performed from below your navel to your pubic hairline. It is also called a classic incision and is more painful and visible.
The wonders of modern medicine have provided dissolvable stitches to close your uterus incision. Depending on your baby Doctor, you may be stapled or glued shut or use of dissolvable or non-dissolvable stitches. Talk about it with your doctor and choose the one that minimizes scarring for your skin type.
Tips to Take Care of your Incisions
It’s simple, the more you take care of your incisions and prevent these from becoming infected, the more it helps to minimize scarring. Let’s consider some tips to take care of these incisions:
Keep The Area Clean: It’s super important to clean the incision area regularly. Just clean it very gently as directed and pat dry that area with a soft towel to avoid any infection. Scrubbing can irritate your incision wound, so don’t scrub it.
Avoid Exercise: You should avoid vigorous exercise and sudden twisting, stretching or even avoid lifting anything heavy. And be extra careful while bending. All these activities can cause your incisions to re-open. But keep moving when you can and as directed by your baby Doctor, try slow walking which may help to heal your incision faster due to better blood circulation.
Wear Loose Clothes: Other than eating way to much at Christmas and festive holidays, wearing your favorite team sweats after surgery is the bomb. No need to look good here ladies, tight and synthetic clothes are going to rub and irritate your incisions which may lead to infections and slow down their healing process. You have permission to wear loose and soft clothes that actually help to reduce irritation.
Follow-Up With Your Doctor’s Advice: Your doctor may prescribe you some instructions, medications, or maybe some ointments for your incisions. Make sure you follow up with your doctor’s advice carefully and get it checked by your doctor if you’re concerned about infection or anything else.
If you feel anything abnormal around the incision area, consult your doctor immediately. Things to look out for include:
- – Redness or swelling around the incision area
- – Pain
- – Any fluid or blood leakage
- – Funky smells from the wound
- – Fever
- – Opening of the incision
It is, however, quite normal to have mild itchiness around the incision area during the healing process. Mild itchiness doesn’t signify incision infection. It may send you bonkers, but try to avoid scratching to prevent infection.
Types of Scars
In most cases, C-section scars heal and fade on their own with time. But in some rare cases, these may turn into bumps and become more visible. Two common types of C-section scars, me personally, I’m prone to keloid scarring.
Keloid Scar: With keloid scars, extra scar tissue forms around the incision area forming raised scars that extend beyond the border of the incision. These aren’t painful or harmful, but are more visible and whilst I think they tell a story, others don’t like the look of them.
Hypertrophic Scar: Hypertrophic scars are also raised scars but they remain within the border of the incision, they are usually smaller in comparison to keloid scars.
If these scars bother you, talk about them with your doctor for treatment.
Ways to Lessen the Apperance of C-Section Scars
C-section scars eventually fade away on their own, but in some cases, they can be quite visible and for some women, they can affect self-esteem. Let’s talk about some different options that may help you minimize the appearance of your scars:
Massage: Simply try massaging your scar with the help of any oil, coconut oil works great. Regular massaging of the area will help to increase blood circulation which in turn stimulates cell growth and helps to minimize the appearance of scars.
Silicone Sheets: Silicon sheets work great to fade scars, simply put the silicon sheet around the scar area. These sheets also work to soften and flatten your scars. They are also good to fade away keloid and hypertrophic scars.
Laser Therapy: You can try laser therapy to minimize the appearance of your C-section scar. It may take a few sessions to get the desired result. Best of all, you can begin after your stitches have been removed.
Steroid Injections: Steroids have also been used to treat vigorous and inflamed scars. A steroid is injected into the scar to reduce the inflammation and appearance of the scars. You may need 4-6 steroid injections to get the desired result, talk to your Doctor.
Scar revision: This is a surgical process used to reduce the appearance of thicker scars. In this type of cosmetic surgery, your doctor will open, remove the damaged skin, and then re-close the scar. This process can make your scar noticeably less visible.
Tummy Tuck: This cosmetic surgery is also called abdominoplasty. This process is mostly used if you have a very large, discolored, or bumpy scar. If you have loose skin on your stomach and scar, then your surgeon cuts away loose skin and stitches the incision.
Goes with saying that this procedure has risks involved, talk to someone smarter than me!