Could you tell me if a heating pad would relieve the scarred incision following Mohs surgery after 4 months?

Question

Since its been about 4 months since I had surgery on my upper right chest would it be ok to use a heating pad over the incision? A nurse at the office said to massage the area for 5 mins. What would you recommend?

Hayes B. Gladstone, MD · Answer

Scars can take one year to mature. Scars can be optimized by massaging in OTC silicone gel twice per day for several months. If the scar is raised, a steroid injection may flatten it. If it is red, then a laser such as a pulsed dye laser may decrease the redness--though it will require several treatments. More recently, it has been shown that fractional laser resurfacing can greatly improve scars.

Robert Paul, MD · Answer

Messaging you scar is the best treatment you can do yourself to improve the appearance.  Scars take over a year to remodel and achieve their final appearance.  Applying pressure to them by message helps with the remodeling process and improves their appearance.  The therapy should begin several weeks after the initial procedure when the skin has had a opportunity to close and begin the healing process.  Messaging pressure should be applied to the incision with the aid of any type of lotion to help reduce friction.  You should push hard enough to notice it, but not enough to cause pain.  As you get further out from the procedure, you will not be able to cause discomfort from the pressure and at this time the message therapy will become less effective.  The therapy should happen at least several times a day for the best results.        Heating the wound will not really alter the appearance of the scar.  It is effective to make a tight scar and surrounding tissue more pliable to perform therapy on a scar.  Especially if the scar is over a mobile area like a joint.  Gently heat the area and then perform stretching exercises to increase the mobility of the tissues.  Be careful no to apply too much heat to burn the skin especially if the area has no sensation from the procedure and never sleep on heating pads.       If the color is bothering you, the red pigment will fade over time, but again can take over a year to do so.  If you wish to speed the process up, laser therapy can remove the pigment faster.

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

A heating pad to an incision line really wont do much for the outcome of your scar. Massaging is one of the best ways to manage your incision. If internal sutures were used the absorption of some of them can take up to 3 to 4 months for them to dissove.

Could you tell me if a heating pad would relieve the scarred incision following Mohs surgery after 4 months?

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