Keloid c-section scar painful 9 months on

[sassylassie]

Has anyone else experienced this? I'm 9 months postpartum and my c-section scar has developed into a keloid. I have seen 2 GPs but they have said there is nothing much they can do as keloid treatment is regarded as 'cosmetic' by the NHS and low priority. In my case, I'm not so worried about the cosmetic aspect although the raised red scar is pretty ugly (only my OH will see it anyway and he's not bothered!). The issue is that it is often very sore, especially when I've been carrying my boys or wearing something that rubs. The only clothes I can wear comfortably now are soft leggings - no more jeans, skirts or my scar gets really sore! :-( Latest GP is going to make some calls to try to see if she can make a special case for me to see a plastic surgeon but said "Don't hold your breath" as she thinks they are unlikely to recommend surgery as there's a high chance the keloid will just come back. And other treatments (steroid injections, silicone pads/gel) have not been proven to be effective she says.

Has anyone else experienced a painful keloid c-section scar, and does it ease over time? Have clothes rubbed etc? How have you managed that? And most importantly has anyone had any successful treatment for it? Feeling pretty down about being stuck with this forever and not being able to do normal things (like carry my kids or wear normal clothes) without suffering the soreness afterwards!

I developed a keloid scar after my first C-section and was given Haelan tape (a steroid tape) to put over it after second C-section and it worked brilliantly. My scar isn't raised anymore and has virtually disappeared (this is 2.5 years on though).
It's worth a go, unless it's something you need to use straight after surgery I guess. I was prescribed it in hospital and used it for about 3 months.
Good luck.

Thanks LollyLondon. That was lucky! Yes I think that's something that you need to do right after to avoid another keloid developing. If I was planning another baby it would definitely be an option, but this no.2 of 2 (first one was forceps delivery, this one ELCS), so sadly not an option for me.

Oh that's a shame. I hope you find something that works. All the best!

My experience may help though it was not post C section. I had bilateral total knee replacements and the scars became keloid, very uncomfortable and restricting. My surgeon told me to massage the scars with Bio Oil twice a day- I was very sceptical but it certainly worked brilliantly and the difference was obvious after a few weeks. Scars had all but disappeared after a year.
If you want to try it shop around - Amazon usually cheapest.

Thanks LollyLondon! Marmaladegranny, yes I've heard good things about Bio Oil too. Does sound promising. When did you start using it (i.e. how soon after the surgery)? Hope I haven't left it too late!

I have a keloid (not Csection, on my arm) and my gp was more than happy to refer me as it was itchy and bled sometimes.

The dermatologist gave me kelocote gel and haelen tape which is steroid impregnated, and I used those for 6 weeks, then I had steroids injected into it. It went from purple and very raised, to much lighter, flattened, and comfortable.

You can buy kelocote without prescription, so I'd def give that a go

That silicone tape thing worked brilliantly for my sister's keloid scar. She was thrilled

CMOTDibbler - that sounds great. How long did you have the keloid before you got treatment? Ariadne, same question re: your sister! Thanks everyone.

It was 7 months or so. I'd had a number of surgeries on that arm, and had issues with the scars (the rest got silicone sheets under compression garments, but you can't do that on your elbow) so it had been massaged with bio oil/rosehip oil and all the rest, but still progressed to keloid

I have a keloid scar on my breast from an operation I had 30+ years ago at the age of 7. I have had every treatment possible on it, including twice cutting out the scar tissue under general aesthetic.

The difference with me though is that breast tissue changes size and shape as you age and it was this factor which caused the poor results in my case. I was advised to wait until I had finished having children and seek a new referral for it. But I am so used to the scar being part of me that I won't bother.

With all the treatment mine is now pinker (rather than purple/red), flat one end and slightly raised the other. It is very thick, not a thin line of post operation scars. It does not hurt though, not in the slightest.

I had a keloid scar on my chest, which could be insanely itchy and red, and it reacted well to injections (although it bruised black first, which was a bit alarming the next morning!). It went completely flat and is now only a slightly different colour than the rest of the skin. If you don't get any luck with the NHS could you try going private for injections? You don't want it to be sore and itchy for the rest of your life.

I had a keloid scar develop on my chest after removal of a mole. It was red and raised and angry and sore every single day, with every type of clothing irritating it. The only thing that soothed it was frequent and generous applications of aloe vera gel (I used Banana Boat, which I've seen in Drugstore and more recently in Sainsburys). The keloid was about 5cm long, so a far cry shorter than a CS scar I imagine. I was beyond despair about the keloid and eventually opted to pay for cosmetic surgery, which was successful. But I'm not sure if that would be possible for a large CS scar.

I also had another scar which was painful and found that daily application of rose hip oil soothed it.

My Bio Oil regime started about 6 months post surgery which was when the surgeon noticed the keloid changes and I still use it occasionally 2.5 years on to keep scars flexible. Since then I have had 2 further ops on joints (hands) and used Bio Oil on those scars as soon as possible - realistically once scars have healed, probably about 4 weeks post op.
Hope you find something to help...

Belatedly, thank you so much for the information and advice everyone. Loads of good ideas there. I'm going to chase up the doctor re: the NHS referral in a few weeks if I haven't heard anything, but have now got some Kelocote gel and Bio oil to try in the meantime. I'm determined to do something - just wish I hadn't left it so long, but hard with a baby and a toddler and trying to write an MA dissertation while on mat leave!

Hi, i have just read your story and if i had to explain what im going through it would be exactly what you have said. I know it was a long time ago now so i am wondering if you found anything that helped?

Hi sassy,

I hope you don’t mind me messaging you. I came across your post about your keloid and I’m currently going through the exact same thing. I had forceps for my first delivery and then chose to have a c section for my second.

But the scar that it’s left behind is awful and itches all the time. I’m not planning on having any more kids and wondered if there was anything that’s worked for you over the years? I’ve got the silicone gel and the kelocote gel too but I’m a bit lazy with it.

I’d be grateful if you could let me know if there was anything that really helped.

Thanks

Shima

Hi Shima and Sassy, in the same position one year post csection. Not sure kelocote is doing much for me. Did you have any luck reducing your keloids in the end? Thanks

Sorry I have just seen your message. If you still have the problem what worked for me in the end is neat tea tree oil. It wasn’t quick but after 2 years my c-section scar was almost invisible.

Thank you! Did you just massage it twice a day on to your scar?

From memory yes! It’s a long time ago now. It visibly shrank within a couple of weeks so I knew it was working. Because it is neat you have to be careful just to put it on the scar and not surrounding skin. It’s strong stuff!