Everyone feels embarrassed by their scars. Scar tissues are the natural response to the injury; they develop on the skin as the result of deep gashes, burns, and other injuries that penetrate the skin’s veracity.
The skin forms a scab after three to four days following an injury by regenerating and consequently, over ten days the scan typically shrinks and marshes off as the body emphasis on laying the collagen fibers down to strengthen the former location of the injury.
The damaged tissue may take much time before it returns to full strength. Moreover, skin disorders, such as acne, may result in scar tissue formation. Nevertheless, scars can result in various traumatic events to the skin, and share common characteristics.
In accordance with the general rule, if a scar is massaged, warmed, and exercised, the results will be highly sanguine. The scars vary from person to person and some of the dissimilar features are:
- Dries and reopens to form wound, if not taken care of
- The skin tightens or shortens
- Band of fibers on the skin or below it
- The skin becomes hard
What are some long-term effects?
Scar-formation can be termed as an incredible act of self-preservation; the fibrous mass can even result in issues in future. It mainly consists of collagen, and mainly forbids the ample of circulation. The lack of blood flow and lymph drainage that occurs in scar tissue makes it vulnerable to dysfunction, which is one of the limitations of collagenous tissue.
The abnormal stress resulted in a scar’s area includes:
- Pain
- Numbness
- Muscle atrophy
- Tissue hypoxia’
- Motion and flexibility is limited
- Nerve impingement
- Postural Misalignment
Some professionals believe that scar tissue is the root of a majority of physical imbalances; bodyworkers, who address the scar tissue in early stages helps in minimizing the preceding scar tissue issues.
A scar healing process has two phases, mainly known as:
- Mature: This depends on the size and depth of the wound, and will cease to produce three to eighteen months following the haling. When the scar tissue is no longer produced, then it is considered as mature.
- Immature: When the wound heals immediately, the scar is considered as immature, it could be painful, itchy or sensitive as the nerve endings within the tissue heals.
Some Massage therapies and techniques for scar removal
- 1. Lymph Drainage
This therapy should be done manually and it would optimize lymphatic circulation and drainage around the injured area. The two drainage techniques would be gentle, circular, draining motions into the scar to a firm stretch to the scar and below the skin in a circular motion will help the scar.
Make gentle circular pumping motions by placing the fingers above the scar, and it will help drain congested lymph fluid. The tissue will feel softer when the massage therapist will gently work down the scar.
- 2. Myofascial Release
It is useful to ease the shrinking of the affected tissue. Place two or three fingers at the beginning of the scar and stretch the skin above in a parallel direction, which will help in stretching the skin. Move the fingers a quarter along the scar and repeat with the adjacent tissue, while working along the scar.
An alternative way for this is following the same pattern of fingers in a circular motion instead of straight stretches. Follow this in clockwise and anticlockwise fashion.
- 3. Deep Tissue massage
One of the deep tissue massage technique is deep transverse friction, which can help in preventing adhesion formation and rupture unwanted adhesions. It can be applied directly to the lesion and transverse to the direction of the fibers, and doing this technique in a proper manner will yield results in the mature or immature scar.
- 4. Lubrication
Doing this can help the scar to soften and increase its suppleness. Lotion, castor oil, or any other oil can prevent the scar from drying out or re-opening.
- 5. Stretch through the way!
A range of motions increases with the stretching. This is imperative for the scars that are comfortably sitting over a joint. Scar tissues will elongate after the stretch, and this happens when it persisted for several seconds and pooled with massage.
- 6. Heat application
It helps in the flexibility and pliancy of the scar. Common tools you can use to apply heat are paraffin wax, ultrasound or moist heat packs.
Be cautious!
For the above therapy, always choose the best massage therapists, who use their training and judgment to proceed with the scar treatment. Visit the clinics for best massage therapy Toronto, as the therapists are licensed and consequently, know the perfect treatment for every ailment.
The treatment is effective when a scar is still in the immature phase, and it is essential to have a word with your physician before that. Some additional cautions are:
- If the tissues are radiated, then be extremely careful, as the skin is delicate and can break easily
- Do not continue of your actions cause pain or tissue redness
- Avoid performing massage on open lesions
- Prevent accidental sliding of the fingers and apply a lubricant medium before that
Conclusion
A massage therapist should always keep in mind that scar tissue can be the root of physical imbalances. If you find that your client’s dysfunction is a part of their scar, then combine the six scar reducing techniques described above. This will eventually diminish the scar’s appearance.
