A scar is a natural part of the healing process. Initially they can be red and raised, however, usually within 12 months most scars become flat, pale and leave a slight trace of the original injury which caused them.
This firmness will cover the entire incision line and begin to soften and flatten about 2-3 weeks following surgery. The last phase is often referred to as the remodeling phase. This phase lasts from 21 days up to 2 years.
To further flatten the wound and reduce stretching, apply a surgical tape such as Micropore. For best results, keep the wound covered with tape for 4-6 weeks after the stitches are removed.
A hypertrophic scar is a thick raised scar that's an abnormal response to wound healing. They more commonly occur in taut skin areas following skin trauma, burns or surgical incisions. Treatments include medication, freezing, injections, lasers and surgery.
Don't worry, they will eventually flatten and the redness will generally fade. However your incision will not be completely healed for about 1 year after surgery.
Lasers may be used to smooth a scar, remove the abnormal color of a scar, or flatten a scar. Most laser therapy for keloid scars is done in conjunction with other treatments, including injections of steroids, use of special dressings, and the use of bandages.
Symptoms of incisional hernia
Initially, patients may notice a bulge at the site of a healed surgical incision. Additional symptoms associated with incisional hernias include: Redness and a burning sensation of the bulge. Pain that increases when straining or lifting heavy objects.
Suture granulomas develop from your immune system trying to create a barrier between the foreign material and your natural body tissues. Your cells begin to cluster as they completely surround the material or the general area of where it was removed.
In most cases, it takes about a week for the tissues to connect and form a bridge between the two edges of the wound. Once the tissue has adequately healed, the stitches can be removed. The wound will continue to heal once the stitches are removed.
The healing process
A slight ooze may occur when the suturing is removed. This is normal. It is normal for the scar to be red in colour initially, but this will fade over the next few months.
It is very normal to have swelling around the incision, often for a few weeks. The incision also may feel lumpy or and the skin may feel hard – this is all normal and will go away as everything heals.
Shea Butter and Coconut Oil
You can use raw shea butter or coconut oil to keep the wound moist. This may help prevent a scar or keep a scar from getting too large, deep or itchy. The omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in both shea butter and coconut oil have been shown to inhibit keloid scar tissue and repair skin.
-Apply Vaseline or Aquaphor healing ointment to the sutured site 3-4x/ day for the next three to four days. The ointment will help the wound heal more quickly and minimize scarring. We prefer Vaseline or Aquaphor to antibiotic ointment due to the increase in allergic reactions to antibiotic ointments such as Neosporin.
The four phases of wound healing. The complicated mechanism of wound healing occurs in four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling.
Finally, the remodelling stage begins and continues for a period from several weeks to a few years. Scar remodelling is what changes a thick, red, raised scar to a thin, flat, white scar and over the course of time, your scars will usually fade and become barely noticeable.
It's important not to scratch your stitches; even though they're strong, scratching may damage them. You should avoid contact sports, such as football or hockey, to give your wound the best possible chance to heal.
If a person is healthy, an acute wound should heal within three weeks. In such cases, re-modelling normally occurs within the next year or so. However, if a wound gets stuck in one of the four healing stages, it might become hard-to-heal or chronic. Finding the right treatment for chronic wounds can be challenging.
Wounds generally heal in 4 to 6 weeks. Chronic wounds are those that fail to heal within this timeframe. Many factors can lead to impaired healing. The primary factors are hypoxia, bacterial colonization, ischemia, reperfusion injury, altered cellular response, and collagen synthesis defects.
In general, the greater the tension across a wound, the longer the sutures should remain in place. As a guide, on the face, sutures should be removed in 5-7 days; on the neck, 7 days; on the scalp, 10 days; on the trunk and upper extremities, 10-14 days; and on the lower extremities, 14-21 days.
Sometimes scar tissue grows over the boundaries of the original wound, creating a puffy, round protrusion called a keloid. Hypertrophic scars and keloids may be itchy, tender, or painful.
When you're in this phase, which can go on for up to 6 days after your surgery, it's normal to see some redness and swelling. Your doctor can tell you how much is OK. Also, your wound may feel warm, and it may hurt around the site.
Or it may form up to about 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. It may look like a swollen lump and feel tender or sore. A small seroma isn't dangerous. Depending on its size and symptoms, it may not need to be treated.
Incisional hernias can occur after abdominal surgery. Part of the surrounding organs or abdominal tissue pushes through the weakened abdominal wall. This causes a visible lump to appear. They tend to develop around the incision site, and they may not present for up to a year following the surgery.
Most seromas present as a cyst or lump beneath the skin near the incision site that may be sore and sensitive to the touch. If you suspect you may have a seroma, gently tap one side of the area and watch to see if there is a wave-like motion beneath the skin that would indicate fluid collection.