C-sections can cause scarring. In some women, these scars become thick, raised, and red. That may mean that your scar is hypertrophic, where your body created more scar tissue than necessary. A hypertrophic scar is harmless, but it may get irritated when you wear clothes or you may not like how it looks.
Sometimes the scars remain pink or red because the new blood vessels that developed to heal the wound never receded once their job was done. This laser can cauterize the small vessels from the inside out to remove them from the scar and allow the pink or red color to fade.
Many suffer from discomfort in their c-section scars. While this is most common from the 3 to 12-month period following childbirth, it's common for C-section scars to continue to hurt much longer. Up to 25% of people may experience chronic c-section scar pain.
If you notice redness, swelling or pus leaking from your c-section incision—or if you have a fever—your wound may be infected. Generally, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics, but if you have another issue like a hematoma, you may need a small surgery to remove it, notes Barnes.
A cesarean section (C-section) is still considered a major surgery, and healing takes time. While most women feel significantly better after six weeks, the incision will go through different stages of healing before it is fully healed in about six to 12 months.
One month after your C-section:
The incision may be a reddish color that will fade over the next six months. There may also still be some pinkness and swelling around the incision. You may still have some pain and bleeding at the incision. It may itch and burn, and you may feel a twitching sensation around your scar.
You may have some pain in your lower belly and need pain medicine for 1 to 2 weeks. You can expect some vaginal bleeding for several weeks. You will probably need about 6 weeks to fully recover.
If your C-section scar smells or you notice a foul odour, it could indicate an infection. Infections can exacerbate itchiness and lead to other symptoms such as fever or severe abdominal pain.
The scar will tend to remain red for 1-6 months afterwards. After that as the collagen, fibers and scar organizes and matures, the scar tends to contract down and flatten out. The color becomes less red and begins to take on the color and appearance of the surrounding tissue.
As the baby grows, the extra weight placed on the abdominal muscles can cause them to weaken and stretch, making it harder for them to support the skin and underlying tissues. This can result in the build-up of fat and adipose tissue in the lower abdomen, causing the pouch.
C-sections can cause scarring. In some women, these scars become thick, raised, and red. That may mean that your scar is hypertrophic, where your body created more scar tissue than necessary. A hypertrophic scar is harmless, but it may get irritated when you wear clothes or you may not like how it looks.
It is not uncommon for a surgical scar to hurt after an incision is healed. Scar tissue forms after surgery to heal a wound and can form internally or externally. This scar tissue can often cause pain due to a variety of reasons including an injury to the nerve.
Some scars never fade. If your scar stays pink after 12 to 18 months please call to discuss options. If your scar becomes raised and rubbery instead of flat, this could be an abnormal scar process (photo C).
For best results, you should perform scar massage for at least 10 minutes, twice a day, for six months. You should only stop sooner than that if the scar starts showing signs of infection or you experience intolerable discomfort.
Hypertrophic scars occur when there is a lot of tension around a healing wound. These scars are thick and raised, and often red in color. They may remain like this for several years. Hypertrophic scars are the result of an imbalance in collagen at the site of the wound.
A hypertrophic scar occurs when the scar remains thicker for an extended period of time. An increased amount of fibrous scar tissue may occur as well. The small blood vessels may become partially or totally occluded within the scar tissue giving a permanet dark red, or purple hyperpigmentation.
heavy vaginal bleeding. your wound becomes more red, painful and swollen. a discharge of pus or foul-smelling fluid from your wound. a cough or shortness of breath.
If you have had these symptoms for more than 6 months, the pain may be caused by nerve entrapment or nerve injury. We may be able to help. The most typical nerves that are involved in chronic pain syndromes after C-sections may include: The ilioinguinal nerve.
An isthmocele is a pouch, or niche, of tissue that forms on the wall of your uterus. It's the result of a c-section incision that didn't heal completely. Isthmoceles can lead to abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain and menstruation problems. It can also cause infertility or problems with future pregnancies.
Symptoms of C-section internal stitches rupture
A sudden increase in discharge, particularly if it is foul-smelling, yellow, or green, can be a sign of infection and internal stitches rupture. Pus or bleeding from the incision site also warrants immediate medical attention.
"Whether you delivered vaginally or by C-section, it takes six weeks for the uterus to contract to its normal size," says Dr. Daneshmand. Resting a heating pad or hot-water bottle on your belly can help—and so can over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen.