Incisions first heal by inflammation. Yes, inflammation, and while inflammation is always portrayed in a bad way on television commercials, it is necessary for our bodies to heal. That’s why your wound starts out swollen and then after the first few days the inflammatory process slows down, and the wound healing process kicks in.
At three weeks all incisions are going to be red, raised and lumpy–they will feel thick–this is totally normal and is called the ‘healing ridge’. A lot of cells are there trying to heal the incision. Then, the scar will begin to flatten and this is where you can really help your wounds with massage. I recommend all patients massage their wounds starting at three weeks, and do it firmly in little circles and in straight lines with a silicone gel–Kelocote. Actually I tell patients to massage, massage, massage their incisions. Do this once a day for two minutes for a whole year. A YEAR?! YES; it takes a full year for a scar to mature and you can help it with massage. If you take one thing away from this microblog it is to MASSAGE your incisions!
