Why does my surgical scar hurt

When experiencing a surgical wound, the body will quickly form scar tissue. Scar tissue is not made from the same great material you were born with. Scar tissue is contracting and tightening for 6 months to a year and can be dry and irritated. Learning how to care for scar tissue can improve your surgical outcome.

Bend and straighten your elbow. Performing joint surgery, Klapper says, involves cutting into multiple layers of anatomy: the epidermis or skin surface; subcutaneous fat; fascia or connective tissue; muscles, tendons and ligaments; and the lining around the bone called the ostium. All should get closed properly. The initial length of an incision after surgery could be deceptive.

While surgery of the knees, wrists or ankles is meant to improve movement and function, excessive scar tissue around the joints can do just the opposite. Frozen shoulder, which sometimes follows surgery, involves a buildup of scar tissue around the shoulder joint, caused by irritation and inflammation.

The result is pain and reduced range of motion. For unknown reasons, Klapper says, people with diabetes are much more prone to postoperative frozen shoulder. Surgery anywhere in the body can lead to scarring. If your appendix is removed, for example, the small surgical scar on your belly is usually no big deal. Adhesions are bands of tissue that form between organs and abdominal tissues, sometimes making them stick together. That can lead to bowel obstruction or chronic pain in the abdomen.

May 21, at am. May 29, at am. Lady Zee says. July 12, at pm. July 15, at am. July 17, at am. Hi Anonymous, if the area has become swollen, you may want to have your dr take a look. Sahara says. July 15, at pm. Amanda says. July 23, at pm.

July 24, at pm. MummyB says. August 1, at am. August 3, at pm. Hi MummyB, yes it is completely normal for it to itch as it heals. Stewie says. August 6, at am. August 12, at am. August 28, at pm. September 8, at am. September 13, at pm. Jess says. September 7, at am. September 9, at am. Mi says. September 12, at am. September 14, at am. Christy says. September 27, at pm. Christina says. October 21, at pm. November 17, at pm. Royal says.

November 11, at pm. Hi Royal, this is normal. November 19, at pm. Renea says. December 2, at am. Wongani says. December 11, at am. Rose says. December 14, at am. Anthony says. December 17, at pm. December 31, at pm. Damaris says. January 8, at am. I had a historectomy on Dec 28th and I have 16 staples. Boy does this itch!! Is this normal? February 10, at pm. Mark says. January 19, at pm. Abdullahi says. February 10, at am. Breanna Z. March 6, at pm.

March 8, at pm. Mel says. March 11, at am. March 23, at am. Hi Mel, sorry we are only seeing this now. What did the dr. Denise says. April 26, at pm. All went well. Any ideas? How can I treat it when it flares? May 9, at pm.

Diana says. May 8, at am. May 10, at pm. Kristin says. May 28, at pm. June 22, at pm. Difficult to say. Have you talked to a podiatrist about it? Yessenia says. July 7, at pm. September 15, at am. Autumn says. September 14, at pm. Loretta says. August 4, at pm. August 15, at pm. PD says. August 9, at pm. Marsha Sciandra says. August 19, at pm. Julie says. August 31, at am. Hi Julie, your mom should speak with her surgeon and have it looked at.

Alexia says. Hi Alexia, please make an appointment with your surgeon to have it looked at. Kelly says. September 19, at pm. October 20, at pm. Did her scratch tear open the scar?

Maria says. September 20, at pm. Hi Maria, itchiness is due to the scar healing and is completely normal. Karen says. September 21, at pm. October 24, at pm. Tarrah says. September 26, at am. September 29, at pm. Juana Andujo says. October 4, at pm. October 26, at pm. November 5, at am. Hi Ashley, it could be due to the internal part of the scar. Have your dr. Vicki Williams says. November 5, at pm.

November 7, at am. Lynn says. November 28, at am. November 29, at pm. Hi Lynn, what were you using to treat the scar? It could be contact dermatitis. Theresa holloway says. January 28, at pm. Heaven Smith says. February 2, at pm. February 24, at am. Samantha says. February 15, at pm. February 23, at pm. Catharine says.

February 20, at am. Matt D. March 4, at pm. April 4, at pm. Susane Ramjattan says. May 6, at am. July 20, at am. May 22, at am. June 26, at pm. Shelbt says. June 3, at pm. Angie Metoyer says. June 6, at am. June 6, at pm. You can try an anti-itch cream to relieve the need to scratch. Jack says. June 21, at am. Desirae Cantu says. July 2, at am. Anand says. Tricia says.

July 9, at am. Matthew says. July 28, at pm. September 20, at am. Ado Bakasa says. September 5, at pm. Jessica Noack says. October 12, at am. Nate says. September 22, at am. Hi Nate, have you talked to your dr about this happening? Lanie says. September 29, at am. October 29, at pm.

November 8, at pm. June 5, at pm. Katrina says. November 6, at pm. Heather says. November 16, at pm. Alyssa says. December 13, at am. June 27, at pm. Laurie says. In some cases, it is due to nerve endings that become irritated causing discomfort and pain. The skin is comprised of two types of nerves: pain and touch nerves and sympathetic nerves.

The sympathetic nerves are responsible for regulation of sweating and skin temperature. If these nerve fibers become damaged then a person can experience changes in sweating, temperature, and skin color. Pain from scars can be next to the scar or in the nearby area in many cases. It can spread to a wider area, as well. Some people describe the pain they experience as being a shooting or stabbing pain.

It can become worse with movement. Any sneezing or coughing can aggravate facial scars. These scars can be very sensitive to changes in temperature also.

In some cases, scars can seem thicker than normal. These scars are generally extremely tender upon touching. In some cases, they will contain a dense and small nodule of nerve endings. This is known as neuroma. When dealing with scars that are painful, there are several treatment options available.

Some treatments that may be recommended by a doctor would be:. In many cases, this treatment works very well. It can be repeated up to three times.

Each successful injection can lead to long lasting relief, but there are limits. If there are too many injections of steroids, the skin could become damaged. These injections will kill off nerve endings that are causing the pain.

They are less common today. These treatments work very well when it comes to scar pain. Low doses can have a dramatic effect. Many times this is the first choice for treatment for this type of condition.

Other drugs such as Pregabalin or Gabapentin can also be useful, but they can sometimes have side effects that are very unpleasant. In some cases, massaging the area with a scar cream that is hypoallergenic might be enough to loosen and stretch scar tissue.

Certain creams such as hydrocortisone may be helpful in the relief of itching. Acne lesions can cause red scarring on the facial area. In some cases, the acne will clear up without leaving any scars behind. There are certain kinds of acne that will leave behind red marks once the lesions have been healed.

Small cysts that have filled with pus can be painful and can be the cause of scarring. Over time, these red scars can fade; however, there are many options available to speed the process along. There are home remedies with natural ingredients, creams you can buy over the counter, or by visiting a dermatologist for treatment.

The main goal is to stop the pain and to fade the look of the scars. Read : What are the different types of acne scars? Subscribe to Scars and Spots to get our posts delivered directly to your inbox! Have you purchased InviCible Scars risk-free yet? The information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes.

Please speak to your doctor to treat any medical condition. Information on this site is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Hi Carol, this is something you should speak to your doctor about, as a scar turning red and tender 45 years later is not typical. We recommend having your doctor take a look. What could be the cause of this and should I be concerned. Hi Jamie, many times pain from the area of the scar is due to nerve damage when the injury occurred and is normal.

Hello, I had my appendix removed when I was 8, and it left a pretty bad scar almost like a V indent on my stomach. Now almost 15 years later the scar itself is forming a keloid of sort and the one side of the V is red and has lumps of sort and is painful.

It was not like this yesterday. Any clue as to why this just now happened? Even this far out the body can sometimes react to the suture. We suggest seeing a surgeon. I had appendix removed in 5th grade and recently turned red and itches and hurts, what could be going on. I have a appointment on Monday to have it checked out. I have a legs scar on my arm which has never really healed well. It is the only scar I have which has remained a reddish colour and is raised a lot from my skin.

It gets irritated all the time and can become itchy and sensitive. However I often get shooting pains and if something puts pressure on it I find it hurts a lot.

Is there anything I can do? Stop picking it. Let it heal completely. The see a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon about getting it removed. What can I do?!

I need this to go away. Hi Brandon, Friction could well be the cause. Did you do a lot more walking than usual? Has that happened before? Is it better now? I have had a scar on my face for almost 8 years now which has become rather small, but still visibl.

As of yesterday it have become raised and bright red, is this anything that I should worry about? It could just be that it really dry with the winter weather and simply need moisturizing use aloe. I have a scar on my thumb crease, the injury was the thumb bending back and snapping the skin. No broken bones. I got a small localised infected. Which the nurse said was ok, was told to wash and cover.

Now the wound area looks Red and sore to touch.