Scar Therapy
Brief description
Scar Therapy is a gentle, specialist treatment designed to support scar tissue, improve comfort and help restore movement in the surrounding tissues. It is a hands-on treatment that works with the skin, scar tissue, fascia and other tissues that may have been affected by surgery, injury or trauma.
Even after a wound has fully healed, a scar can sometimes remain tight, sensitive, numb, itchy or uncomfortable. You may notice pulling around the scar, changes in sensation, or restriction in the way the surrounding tissues move. Scar Therapy uses specialised techniques to work gently with these changes, helping to improve tissue mobility and reduce areas of tightness and discomfort.
At The Northgate Wellbeing Clinic, treatment is individually tailored to your scar, your stage of healing and how the area is affecting you.
How can Scar Therapy help?
Scar Therapy can help improve the movement and flexibility of scar tissue and the tissues surrounding it. Treatment may be particularly helpful where a scar feels tight or restricted, creates a pulling sensation, or is associated with sensitivity, numbness, itching or discomfort.
Gentle mobilisation can also be used to work with harder or uneven areas of tissue and support improvements in the texture and appearance of a scar. For some people, improving how a scar feels and moves can also increase confidence in touching, moving or using the affected area.
Every scar heals differently, so treatment is always adapted to the individual rather than following a standard approach.
What types of scars can be treated?
Scar Therapy can be suitable for many types of fully healed scars, including C-section and abdominal scars, mastectomy and other breast surgery scars, hip and knee replacement scars, carpal tunnel surgery scars, thyroid and neck surgery scars, and scars following other surgery, injury or trauma.
A scar does not have to be recent to benefit from treatment. Once the wound is fully healed and treatment is appropriate, it is possible to work with scars that are many years old as well as those that have healed more recently.
LymphaTouch® and Scar Therapy
Where appropriate, Scar Therapy at The Northgate Wellbeing Clinic may incorporate LymphaTouch®. This specialist device uses controlled negative pressure to gently lift and mobilise the tissues.
The lifting action can be particularly useful where there is tightness, restriction or swelling around a scar, complementing hands-on scar techniques and allowing the practitioner to work with the tissue in a different way.
Your practitioner will assess the scar and surrounding area before deciding whether hands-on Scar Therapy, LymphaTouch, or a combination of the two is most appropriate for you.
Scar Therapy after a C-section
A C-section scar can sometimes remain tight, sensitive, numb or uncomfortable long after the initial healing process. Some people also experience pulling or restriction in the tissues around or beneath the scar.
Gentle Scar Therapy works with the scar and surrounding tissues to encourage greater mobility, ease feelings of tightness or restriction, and improve comfort in the area. Treatment will only begin once the wound is fully healed and it is safe and appropriate to work directly with the scar.
What happens in a treatment?
Your first appointment includes a consultation and assessment of your scar. Your practitioner will ask how and when the scar occurred, any surgery or medical treatment you received, how the scar currently feels, and whether you are experiencing tightness, sensitivity or restriction. Your general health, relevant medical history and what you would like to achieve from treatment will also be discussed.
The scar and surrounding tissues are then worked with gently using techniques selected according to how the tissue presents and responds. Where appropriate, LymphaTouch may also be incorporated into the session.
Scar Therapy should not feel like an aggressive attempt to break down scar tissue. The approach is gentle, responsive and always guided by your comfort.
A scar can also represent more than a physical change to the skin. Surgery, injury and the circumstances in which a scar developed can carry their own emotional significance. Treatment at Northgate is therefore approached sensitively and respectfully, with you remaining in control throughout.