Tips for ELCS-minimising scar

[snowydrops]

Hello,
I'm booked in for an ELCS next week due to DC2 being in wrong position and am wondering what I can do in preparation to minimise the scar / overhang issue. I haven't met the surgeon yet (will be one of 8) but I will get to speak to them on the day itself. Things I have done so far:

• Arnica tabs (when do I start these?)
• c- sec belt
• big pants / high wasted trousers
• bio oil for later (when do I rub this on?)

Anything else to aid healing?

I am not overweight, and have no stretch marks yet from pregnancy but am wondering if there's anything else I can do to aid healing and also if there are any techniques / things to ask the surgeon that reduce the overhang issue. Perhaps nothing can be done of course but I thought I may as well ask!

My mil bought me some amazing but very expensive scar cream called sheald. It's about £40 a tube but I think it's done an amazing job on my scar. I had an emcs 7 months ago and my scar has faded almost totally. It's just a white line a couple of millimetres thick. There's a little bit of pink round the edge. Maybe it would have faded anyway, but I'm sure it's helped. I've also been very careful about wearing big pants and not letting anything rub on it. I can't help with the overhang because mine is quite big, but that's probably because I was overweight with a big tummy to begin with and I suspect it would improve if I could be bothered to exercise

Step away from the arnica tablets!! They are a blood thinner and cause you to bleed more during surgery.

DH is a surgeon and as a result of a few arnica taking patients bleeding profusely it is now one of his standard pre-op questions. If you've taken them then your op is cancelled. As your ELCS can't be cancelled you're just upping your risks.

Having said all that my ELCS scar is basically invisible and below my hairline anyway

Wow tallgiraffes I didn't know that!! I have seen them recommended on so many threads on here..and elsewhere so thanks so much for telling me. I haven't taken any so that's lucky!

I wouldn't worry too much. I had mine 4 years ago and it's just a very thin white line now. I can't recall at what point it went white though, it was quite red/purple for a while. No overhang either.

I have never even put moisturiser on it.

That's ok, I go on crusades on here periodically about it, haven't done one for a while! Good luck.

Just looked up the arnica thing, seems extremely common to take the homeopathic tablets pre surgery (c-sec and other) and indeed many midwives recommend it so am slightly confused now!

I've had two CSs, done nothing to the scar and it's barely visible - not visible at all if you don't tend the garden.

I also think the surgeon will be more concerned about ensuring good wound closure than preventing the minor and purely cosmetic issue of overhang. It's really not that bad, especially if it's a sign that you've had a safely delivered, healthy baby. If you're really bothered by it, try Pilates once you're sufficiently healed.

Did nothing scar is minimal and overhang has come and gone and come and gone when I have lost and gained weight mainly after subsequent pregnancies. I think it is down to luck and good surgical skills.

This is from one of the manufacter's websites...

Pre-operative doses of Homeopathic Arnica should be limited. SINECCH™ has only one pre-operative dose. We have heard that some patients are being told to take Homeopathic Arnica from health food stores for one or more weeks before surgery. There is a warning in the Homeopathic and plastic surgery literature that suggests that, at most, only a few doses of Homeopathic Arnica should be taken pre-operatively. If too many doses are taken prior to surgery, there may be a paradoxical tendency to increase bleeding during surgery.

Thanks so much tallgiraffes, think I am lucky you spotted this post!

I was told to gently massage the scar from about six weeks post op to help break scar tissue down. I suspect that getting mobile asap after op (to minimise different layers of tissue healing stuck together) is probably a good think as well. Basically keep the scar 'mobile'.

Keep it clean and dry to avoid infection. Apart from that you don't need to do anything, it will fade by itself.

I took 2 pre op doses of arnica with no ill effect. Have take arnica since and managed a 24 hour discharge and to attend toddler group by day 5 which I doubt I would have managed without it. No overhang here either and I was a good size 14 pre pregnancy. Massage is meant to be very good to break down scar tissue also - can be started after 6 weeks