The scarline. what to expect after the HT and what is the biggest cause of stretching

[Sunnycoastman]

Hi, Im in day 13 after the HT. My scarline is still a bit tender although in the last 2 days it has felt better. sometimes its tender more so than at other times. Sometimes there are especially tender spots, but this seems to change each day. Ive taken to washing it with the antiseptic shampoo the doc gave me to help stave off possible infection.

 

The way I sleep seems to make a difference too, ie if i sleep on my back it seems to be more tender the next day. Theres also some bumps along the line. Is this all normal???

 

How long before the tenderness dissappears and the scarline feels normal?? I guess healing depends on your age and state of health. Older people generally heal slower I think.

 

Also stretching. Seems to me, and Im just trying to think logically, the most critical factor in whether you get streching is how much tension it is under from when it was closed up. This would be directly related to the number of grafts ie depth of cut, and laxity to begin with which means scalp exercises are super important especially the more grafts you want.

 

I also wonder whether dissolvable sutures which dissolve over 5 weeks or so are better for taking up the tension in the scarline for longer allowing more healing to occur before the skin takes up all the tension.

 

Someone on this site said they thought some people get stretching no matter what they do. I know heavy lifting after an HT can stress the scarline but that would only occur over a short length of time during a workout. Im thinking that the tension on the scar in relation to laxity is the biggest cause of stretching after the HT. cheers

 

Sunny

[Turbo]

My advice is to lay off the weights for at least 4 months and then ease your way back until 6 months when the scar area is at 90% strength. (I read this on a couple of forums -somebody correct me if I'm wrong?)

 

I didnt after my 2nd HT, (started after a month or so - the area felt fine and not tight) and I believe that this resulted in a 3mm scar then..

 

I also believe that the 2nd HT scar tissue caused the 3rd HT scar to stretch even more (About 1 inch now at the widest (= 3 mm HT2 scar + 6-7 mm HT3 scar)

 

Scar tissue in my experience has no laxity and once skin is stretched it doesn't spring back.

 

Take my advice and you will be fine.