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What Can I Do About Long-term Tummy Tuck Scar Pain?
Scar pain can be caused from a number of issues including abnormal healing from the scarring (keloid or hypertrophic scars), injury to cutaneous nerves in the area, or other issues. Treatment at this point can include: 1. Steroid injection - this can be particularly helpful in cases of hypertrophic scars or cutaneous nerve injury. Risks include atrophy or hypopigmentation in the injected area. 2. Scar revision - this may help the pain and the appearance of the scar (if this is a problem) but it may also not help your pain and you have to deal with healing another surgery. If you feel a pulling sensation, this may be an area of scar tissue or a deep suture that can be released with this method. Massage may help but you may be more likely to get improvement with the treatments above. Speak to your plastic surgeon in depth about your concerns.
Clinical Context
Persistent pain after a tummy tuck can come from thickened scar tissue, a trapped nerve, or tight internal scarring pulling on tissue. It often takes time and sometimes a few different approaches to figure out the cause. Keeping track of when the pain happens, what makes it worse, and whether it's sharp, burning, or achy can help your surgeon narrow down the source and choose the right next step, whether that's an injection, revision, or another approach.
