Content: post-surgery tips, stages of healing and how to treat your skin accordingly, cupping therapy, little drawings to explain everything I'm trying to say :)
Introduction:
Hi everyone, last month I had breast reduction surgery (yay!) so it's about time to deal with the aftermath. To prevent any movement restrictions or tissue pain from the scars that are maturing right now, it is vital to start with this process as soon as possible.
These are not cosmetic recommendations and if you yourself experience any impairment of wound healing or post-op infections, please speak to your surgeon about your personal wound treatment. Especially when it comes to chest related surgeries, the probability of such problems increases.
In this post, I will focus on the chest area, but these methods can be used on any scar (e.g. from a hip-TEP or arthroscopy). Especially if you experience hyper-/hyposensitivity around the sutures, be extra careful with the scar mobilization to decrease any chance of popping them back open. I recommend using a hand mirror to inspect your sutures before starting with the treatment.
Step 1: Around the scar
First things first, you cannot immediately start with these techniques. In the first few weeks, your body is already busy enough producing fresh tissue to fill up the wounds and fight inflammation, so fiddling around with the sutures would be too much of a good thing.
I recommend starting scar care after the third week post-op. The inflammation and swelling should be worn off by then, if not, any wound healing deficit will delay the process. See a doctor, please 😳
But how do I know that my tissue is ready? Well, the general rule of thumb is that if the scar care feels wrong or makes you anxious, you should act slow and careful. Less is more. Also:
Without even touching the suture yet, you can prepare your skin e.g. if you still have plaster strips and can't even access the area.
Level 1: Push the skin towards the wound from all sides without touching it. Go in sections and use a single finger. This movement will relive the tension on the skin without risking damage.
Level 2: Push the skin towards the wound and circle back to the beginning without pulling on it.
Level 3: Press down the suture/plaster strips with one finger and pull the skin away from it with another.
Level 4: If all methods are possible without complications, combine them and simply use circular motions along the wound.
@My chest mutuals: The wound is going to look intimidating, especially around the areola (if the incision affected it) but don't fret. If you want to step back from the big scars, try working on your drainage points or any old scars first and practice the movements!
Furthermore, in this specific area some points are under a lot of tension, please use a mirror when massaging them.
Tips: Massage daily for ~5 minutes without wearing your binder/compression bra/splint, of course. Always use an ointment or (coconut) oil as grease to lower the tension on the skin. To avoid straining the tissue, please adapt any movements to your level of pain.
Step 2: On the scar
When your wound is fully closed and all scabs have fallen off, you can move on to this step. The motions you learned previously are simply repeated on the scar itself. How intensely you decide to go in depends on your sensitivity and the firmness of the tissue.
Even if it sounds a bit brutal, to soften up already dead (=scar) tissue one needs to destroy/tease it a bit on a tolerable scale.
Level 1: Perform straight and circular motions on the scar itself.
Level 2: Pinch a section of the scar and try to gently "lift it off". When lifted, the sections can also be moved in different directions or rolled between your fingers.
Level 3: For a more intense treatment, use your fingernail or a Gua Sha tool. One finger holds down a section of skin and the other drags the scar outwards. You don't want to reopen the wound with this or risk bleeding, but if you notice little red-purple dots around or on the scar, the method is working correctly. This bruising shows that possible adhesions of the tissues have been released.
Tips: Massage daily for ~5 minutes. If the mentioned bruising does show up, wait until it eases down to try Level 3 again.
Step 3: Cupping
If you are new to cupping therapy or never heard of it, you should definitely watch a video about it and look into any possible side effects for yourself. There are no real contraindications regarding this method, but if one is using blood thinner for example they should sit this one out.
To put it bluntly, cupping therapy is not a mythical, ancient healing practice that pulls the bad blood out of your body or whatever. It is ancient, I'll give you that, but the process behind its effectiveness is simply a vacuum. Just like in the prior steps, you want to release any possible pathological adhesions of the tissue and every so often your fingers are simply not strong enough to achieve this.
To be clear, this step is not mandatory at all but often yields good results when it comes to stubborn scars. Also, wait at least six weeks until you try it!
As you can see in the video, there are different types of cups. Use the ones made from silicone (you can get them very cheap online) or sometimes even at the drug store 🤷♀️. For smaller scars, you should look for a set with various sizes to pick the most fitting one.
Cupping also increases circulation in the treated area and can help to regulate the sensitivity of your skin again. A stinging sensation like being poked with a needle is normal to experience but anything more like ripping or excessive pain is too much. Try less suction or go back to the other steps.
Static: Squeeze the cup (the more you do so, the more tension will be on your skin) and put it on a firm section of the scar, then release. Wait until the cup falls off or gets too uncomfortable.
Active: Using less pressure, place the cup down again and move it along the scar. For this step, as always recommended, use oil or lotion.
Tips: I suggest utilizing this method once a week until you are satisfied with the result. Just as before, you should wait for possible bruising to heal before trying it again. Also, try cupping the surrounding skin generously - some tissue adhesions are found in the nearby fascia (e.g. top surgery -> pectoral area + ribcage)
Conclusion:
Daily scar care after any kind of surgery is crucial to prevent limited mobility or complications regarding the connective tissue. I mainly made this post for people who may be unable to discuss this topic further with their doctor or physiotherapist.
Any other procedures after the scar has matured fully like microneedling, chemical peels, lasers etc. can also be used to improve its appearance, but for your personal post-op treatment at home these instructions should be more than sufficient.
If you have any questions or notes on this post, please let me know!
Content: post-surgery tips, stages of healing and how to treat your skin accordingly, cupping therapy, little drawings to explain everything I'm trying to say :)
Introduction:
Hi everyone, last month I had breast reduction surgery (yay!) so it's about time to deal with the aftermath. To prevent any movement restrictions or tissue pain from the scars that are maturing right now, it is vital to start with this process as soon as possible.
These are not cosmetic recommendations and if you yourself experience any impairment of wound healing or post-op infections, please speak to your surgeon about your personal wound treatment. Especially when it comes to chest related surgeries, the probability of such problems increases.
In this post, I will focus on the chest area, but these methods can be used on any scar (e.g. from a hip-TEP or arthroscopy). Especially if you experience hyper-/hyposensitivity around the sutures, be extra careful with the scar mobilization to decrease any chance of popping them back open. I recommend using a hand mirror to inspect your sutures before starting with the treatment.
Step 1: Around the scar
First things first, you cannot immediately start with these techniques. In the first few weeks, your body is already busy enough producing fresh tissue to fill up the wounds and fight inflammation, so fiddling around with the sutures would be too much of a good thing.
I recommend starting scar care after the third week post-op. The inflammation and swelling should be worn off by then, if not, any wound healing deficit will delay the process. See a doctor, please 😳
But how do I know that my tissue is ready? Well, the general rule of thumb is that if the scar care feels wrong or makes you anxious, you should act slow and careful. Less is more. Also:
Without even touching the suture yet, you can prepare your skin e.g. if you still have plaster strips and can't even access the area.
Level 1: Push the skin towards the wound from all sides without touching it. Go in sections and use a single finger. This movement will relive the tension on the skin without risking damage.
Level 2: Push the skin towards the wound and circle back to the beginning without pulling on it.
Level 3: Press down the suture/plaster strips with one finger and pull the skin away from it with another.
Level 4: If all methods are possible without complications, combine them and simply use circular motions along the wound.
@My chest mutuals: The wound is going to look intimidating, especially around the areola (if the incision affected it) but don't fret. If you want to step back from the big scars, try working on your drainage points or any old scars first and practice the movements!
Furthermore, in this specific area some points are under a lot of tension, please use a mirror when massaging them.
Tips: Massage daily for ~5 minutes without wearing your binder/compression bra/splint, of course. Always use an ointment or (coconut) oil as grease to lower the tension on the skin. To avoid straining the tissue, please adapt any movements to your level of pain.
Step 2: On the scar
When your wound is fully closed and all scabs have fallen off, you can move on to this step. The motions you learned previously are simply repeated on the scar itself. How intensely you decide to go in depends on your sensitivity and the firmness of the tissue.
Even if it sounds a bit brutal, to soften up already dead (=scar) tissue one needs to destroy/tease it a bit on a tolerable scale.
Level 1: Perform straight and circular motions on the scar itself.
Level 2: Pinch a section of the scar and try to gently "lift it off". When lifted, the sections can also be moved in different directions or rolled between your fingers.
Level 3: For a more intense treatment, use your fingernail or a Gua Sha tool. One finger holds down a section of skin and the other drags the scar outwards. You don't want to reopen the wound with this or risk bleeding, but if you notice little red-purple dots around or on the scar, the method is working correctly. This bruising shows that possible adhesions of the tissues have been released.
Tips: Massage daily for ~5 minutes. If the mentioned bruising does show up, wait until it eases down to try Level 3 again.
Step 3: Cupping
If you are new to cupping therapy or never heard of it, you should definitely watch a video about it and look into any possible side effects for yourself. There are no real contraindications regarding this method, but if one is using blood thinner for example they should sit this one out.
To put it bluntly, cupping therapy is not a mythical, ancient healing practice that pulls the bad blood out of your body or whatever. It is ancient, I'll give you that, but the process behind its effectiveness is simply a vacuum. Just like in the prior steps, you want to release any possible pathological adhesions of the tissue and every so often your fingers are simply not strong enough to achieve this.
To be clear, this step is not mandatory at all but often yields good results when it comes to stubborn scars. Also, wait at least six weeks until you try it!
As you can see in the video, there are different types of cups. Use the ones made from silicone (you can get them very cheap online) or sometimes even at the drug store 🤷♀️. For smaller scars, you should look for a set with various sizes to pick the most fitting one.
Cupping also increases circulation in the treated area and can help to regulate the sensitivity of your skin again. A stinging sensation like being poked with a needle is normal to experience but anything more like ripping or excessive pain is too much. Try less suction or go back to the other steps.
Static: Squeeze the cup (the more you do so, the more tension will be on your skin) and put it on a firm section of the scar, then release. Wait until the cup falls off or gets too uncomfortable.
Active: Using less pressure, place the cup down again and move it along the scar. For this step, as always recommended, use oil or lotion.
Tips: I suggest utilizing this method once a week until you are satisfied with the result. Just as before, you should wait for possible bruising to heal before trying it again. Also, try cupping the surrounding skin generously - some tissue adhesions are found in the nearby fascia (e.g. top surgery -> pectoral area + ribcage)
Conclusion:
Daily scar care after any kind of surgery is crucial to prevent limited mobility or complications regarding the connective tissue. I mainly made this post for people who may be unable to discuss this topic further with their doctor or physiotherapist.
Any other procedures after the scar has matured fully like microneedling, chemical peels, lasers etc. can also be used to improve its appearance, but for your personal post-op treatment at home these instructions should be more than sufficient.
If you have any questions or notes on this post, please let me know!
i’m having top surgery in 2.5 months!! if anybody has any advice or lists of things i need, i would super duper appreciate it <3 i’m starting to collect tools and prepare my spaces :3 i have quite a sensitive/immunocompromised body, so if anyone has had top surgery with a similar situation, i would love to hear about your experiences! :))
Not necessarily in the same situation BUT I had top surgery in December of last year and I can absolutely give advice
I would like the clarify; the procedure I had done was with no drains, I can imagine yours will be done with it so i can't give any tips there
The best advice I can give is what gave me the best results and the smoothest healing
3 days before surgery I took a natural anti-inflammatory called arnica montana, they're small little pellets you put under your tongue and let dissolve
And LET ME TELL YOU! It worked wonders, I had hardly any bruising and no swelling afterwards! Now I do recommend you take it during your recovery, they don't have any side effects (at least not from my experience) so you're not going to end up with anything scary
During this time, gravol chews, Tylenol extra strength, laxatives, water, ice and Uber eats are going to be your best friend during your first week
Make sure you have an easy to open pill organizer with you at ALL TIMES
Purchase a mastectomy pillow, with pockets AND straps, that thing saved my life
When you're out and about after your first week it will be INCREDIBLY scary, mobility is super intimidating because you're freaking out over every little thing like "what if someone bumps into me really hard" "what if I trip and nobody can help me" "what if I get too tired and can't get a ride home"
You are going to need a person with you during this for those exact reasons, I'm assuming you have that covered already, but the most important thing you need to emphasize to them is being patient
My partner was incredibly emotional my first night home because everything was trial and error, I was so nervous and scared of the worst and it wasn't fun at all, so have a long in-depth conversation with them (if you haven't already) on the importance of being patient and taking things slow
Also, and I cannot stress this enough, purchase a grabby thing from the dollar store, you will need it so bad, I had to settle for my skeleton hand back scratcher and my own feet to pick things up off the floor since I didn't have that (tbf I got quite good at using my feet xD)
And last but certainly not least; be kind to yourself, you are going through an intense change in your life, and it is going to be a lot on your mental health because you'll want to do things and be unable to, take advantage of being a small little dinosaur wrapped up in blankets, pillows and plushies
I wish you all the good luck in your journey! Please feel free to message me if you need any advice during recovery!
Alright I finished the other side now and it's manageable. I strongly recommend soaking the strips in oil (like coconut oil) beforehand but one way or the other, the glue will rip the upper layer your skin and the scabs off. So give your sutures enough time to heal!
the solutions they give you are at room temperature, so they will always feel cold and cool your hand down (either warm yourself up with your other hand or wrap a sweater around it)
every time you get a new solution, it will burn a bit at the start
the little access tube in your hand or arm gets entangled everywhere (your food, your clothes, the faucet)
