Before massaging a scar from cesarean, ask your healthcare professional for advice beforehand. Self-massage gestures must be performed on a scar completely closed, non-oozing, after resorption and / or removal of the threads and / or staples and with the authorization of your healthcare professional. The scar must have been cleaned and dried beforehand, remind the experts in pediatrics, gynecology-obstetrics and physiotherapy in the cosmetic care guide “My skin and my baby’s skin” from La Roche Posay, available free of charge from the month of May 2018 in the gynecology-obstetrics departments, maternities and in pharmacies.
The scar massage is performed twice a day for three minutes.
The right preliminary steps before the self-massage
The scar massage is carried out using a moisturizing and lipid-replenishing repairing treatment allowing to combine comfort and soothing and with a balm texture to facilitate the massage.
- Before starting the self-massage, wash your hands and get into a comfortable posture: lie down and place cushions behind your back as well as under your knees. So your belly will be relaxed.
- Then start massaging the area around the scar in order to relax the peripheral tissues and optimize the effectiveness of the massage: massage the belly trying to grab a large fold of skin encompassing the scar, as if you were trying to grab a bead.
- Gently maneuver your skin by rolling it, from your thumbs to your fingers and vice versa, while breathing quietly.
- Repeat the movement 3 to 4 times.
- Finish by massaging the scar itself using the following technique which is practiced from the 1st week after resorption and / or removal of the threads and / or staples.
The two-step self-healing technique
Step 1 :from the 1st week after resorption and / or ablation of the threads and / or staples
- Place your hand flat on the scar with the palm squarely in the center of the scar.
- Gently moving the entire skin back and forth, back and forth up and down and down and up, then left to right and right to left.
- Repeat the movement 3 times in each direction.
Step 2: from the 2nd week after removal of the threads and / or staples
- Place one hand on the right of the scar and the other on the left; bring each inch of the other fingers together making a fold including the scar. Then, gently push one side of the scar towards the pubis while gently pulling the other side towards the navel.
- Repeat the maneuver by reversing the movement of your hands, so the scar is mobilized in a sinusoidal pattern.
- Repeat the movement 3 times in each direction.
Find more gestures, tips and cosmetic treatments for the skin of the young mother after childbirth and to preserve the fragile skin of the baby in the guide La Roche Posay “My skin and my baby’s skin, tips for taking care of your skin and that of your little one”. Developed by a group of experts in pediatrics, gynecology-obstetrics and physiotherapy, this guide, rich in useful information, is available free of charge from May 2018 in gynecology-obstetrics departments, maternity hospitals and pharmacies.
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