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Massaging Scar Tissue
QUESTION: I am a massage therapist and have several clients who have had breast cancer. I would like to know if there is a recommended course and/or documentation on effective scar tissue massage.
ANSWER: Massage therapists can make a big difference in helping women recover from, accept, and feel comfortable with their breast reconstruction, following the very difficult experience of a breast cancer diagnosis and all of its treatment. Once the mastectomy incisions (with or without reconstruction) have healed and are "sealed shut," my plastic surgical practice almost always suggests scar massage directly over the scar or any "lumpy" areas with the fingers lubricated with a good-quality moisturizer to allow a friction-free massage. In addition, the application of a silastic sheet specifically designed to help flatten a scar is also very useful, if indicated. These are general techniques used for the "average" patient. Other techniques are available and each patient should be individualized as far as which would work best on her personally.
—Gary Wingate, M.D.