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Incision Healing Process

Posted , 7 users are following.

clairegen
clairegen

So it's now been almost 4 weeks (woo hoo!) since my surgery, and I'm getting a little impatient with my incisions. I have 3 incisions total, and I had external stitches which came out 11 days after surgery. There's no infection and everything's healing but I'm wondering when they'll actually start to look more like 'scars' and less like 'incisions', if that makes sense. Right now, I still have dried blood/scabbing on 2 of the incisions, and the third is very dry and kind of cracked and almost peeling, also with scabbing. Basically, I'm becoming impatient with waking up every day and seeing zero change in the appearance of the incisions.

So my question for all of you, how long did it take to actually see some changes in the appearance of your incisions? Like I mentioned, when did they start to look like the beginnings of 'scars'?

2 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • nicola22779
    nicola22779 clairegen

    Posted

    Hi Claire, I didn't see much of my foot in the first six weeks, just at the two-week appointment. I can say that the scars looked like incisions still at two weeks. My stitches were all dissolving stitches so didn't need taking out, lucky me! At the six-week point the incision sites were definitely neat scars though there were some scabs at the ends of them. I recommend leaving these alone to drop off in their own time if you find them though it is difficult! If you force them off then this just leaves raw damp skin which then forms another scab straightaway! My skin was slightly wrinkled (or pleated?) at one point directly over where the bunion had been due to there being less skin needed once the bump was gone but this resolved itself over the following weeks. There was a small amount of leakage at one end of the scar on the top of my foot apparently due to tracking along a suture hole around the eight week point! The different areas of scarring heal in different ways and at different rates meaning that some of the scarring has been virtually invisible from about week six and some is still quite red at nearly five months. I recommend patience and some massage once the scar is strong enough as this makes the scar flatter I am told!
    • clairegen
      clairegen nicola22779

      Posted

      I learned my lesson about leaving the scabs alone. I took off a spot of dried blood last week and I did expose that raw skin you mentioned. Not a good idea at all so I've been trying not to touch anything since then. 

      I have that wrinkled type skin too on my big toe. I was wondering what it was from, makes perfect sense that it's extra skin. 

      Patience is hard!

    • nicola22779
      nicola22779 clairegen

      Posted

      Yes, patience is hard but it is rewarding to see the progress! All the different little ways in which my foot improved day by day brought home to me how amazing the human body is.
  • john69167
    john69167 clairegen

    Posted

    Hi you should notice a difference in next couple of weeks. The scabs will fall off (dont pick them!) and new skin will replace scabs
  • toni63521
    toni63521 clairegen

    Posted

    please be patient. I never expected the healing to take as long as it did. It is still quite early. For me, 4 months later, there is no swelling or pain unless I'm on my feet all day. My scabs were there beyond 6 weeks

     

  • LadyPink
    LadyPink clairegen

    Posted

    Hi Claregen, It took about 10 weeks for my scrabbling to go. Then the scars looked a bit red. A nurse advised using a moisturiser so I applied E45 regularly and found that was fantastic. I had a Scarf Akin done almost 7 months ago and now all looking good and back to normal. I am just so delighted with the whole procedure. The scars which I thought I'd have for ever - have faded so much you can hardly see them - really amazing! Be patient and I'm sure yours will heal just as good as mine did (and I'm an old biddy of nearly 71). Continue to rest that foot as it's still healing and bathe in a bowl of warm warm every night, pat dry and apply E45 cream - it's wonderful stuff. Good luck with your recovery. LadyPink
    • clairegen
      clairegen LadyPink

      Posted

      I still have some steri-strips on there from a few weeks ago.. not sure if you call them the same thing in the UK, but they're those white sticky strips that go across the incision. So it's hard to put lotion over those. I probably could peel them off if I wanted to, but they're not really bothering me. I guess they're just protecting the new skin that's forming for now.

      I'm looking forward to that 10 week mark... thank you for the advice!

  • ness.b
    ness.b clairegen

    Posted

    I am at 6 weeks scarf recovery, both feet.

    Yesterday I had bandages & half-foot cast removed and was finally able to wash my feet in the shower.

    Most of the skin washed away with gentle help from a face washer.

    The incision on left foot looks and feels good. There is still some scabbing at the top, which after reading this thread, I will leave alone to fall off naturally. I gained a strange satisfaction peeling the dry skin from the rest of my foot, best not to do it to incision itself.

    My right foot though is much more scabbed and has less sensation. I think the wound hasn't yet closed completely. The incision is longer and for now seems deeper.

    I suppose then each cut heals differently. Right incision will be healed in a couple of days (6 weeks). Left foot maybe 8 weeks at this stage.

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