Incision/scar question

Dear sisters--
What can I expect my scar will eventually look like? It's vertical and ranges in color from a brownish pink around my navel to a beet red on the lower portion near the pubic bone.
The top area is finer and soft but the middle to bottom is very hard and almost rope-like.
I've been putting vitamin E on it for over a month but it doesn't seem to be helping.

Thanks

Hi!

I also have a vertical scar from my TAH/BSO (July, 2003). By the time I was at your point in recovery my incision looked pretty much the same as you describe. I'm a redhead and my skin scars and marks easily, so I figured the incision would never really fade much. I used Mederma cream with the blessings of my doctor, and found that the gentle daily massaging of the incision helped the rope-like portion flatten. At this point my scar is barely visible! It had gone from a nasty red to a light purple, then pink, and has now almost completely faded to my natural skin color! Some parts took longer to change because they healed differently during the early weeks.

Don't give up on your vitamin E massage! I think that if you're faithful, you'll eventually see positive results. Whether you use Mederma or some other doctor-approved cream, the light stimulation of the incision area can help restore some nerve function and probably aids in circulation, too.

Good luck, and remember that no two people will heal in the same way or in the same length of time.

Eventually--which could be a couple years, depending on the individual--your scar should fade to a shade somewhat lighter than your normal skin tone. That's not guaranteed, but it's pretty usual.

If I understood my doc correctly, that hardness under the scar is due to fluid still being there that needs to be reabsorbed by the body. Did you notice in the early weeks, before your external incision was completely closed, that you had some clear pinkish drainage from some areas? On me, the areas where I had that drainage (serous fluid, I think it's called), the scar was nice and flat by the time the staples were out. A couple spots are still rounder and harder to this day, but I can tell that they are reducing.

The darker color on the bottom of the incision probably is from the bottom having more strain put on it by gravity and the weight of your belly on it. Even if you're an ultra fit-tummied lady, the fluid retention and swelling in the belly puts some extra weight load on the bottom of the abdomen.

Thanks for your responses.
I developed an infection and hematoma that bled out through a part of my incision for several weeks. That's the area where the hardness begins. I don't know if any pinkish discharge came out because of my complications.
Also--the entire length of the entire incision is indented. Is that normal?
I do have a little belly fat but I am not really overweight. Can I expect that it will flatten out with time?

Thanks,
Ally