Home → Treatment & Side Effects → Planning Your Treatment → Ask-the-Expert Conferences: Treatment Issues → May 2008: After Surgery: Short-term and Long-term Effects → How to massage scar tissue?

How to massage scar tissue?

Page last modified on: August 21, 2008

Question from Brenda Thostenson: I had a bilateral mastectomy in October without reconstruction. My scars are long and the skin is pulled very tight. My concern is scar tissue. How often and in what direction etc. should I rub or move my scars? They run from sternum to under the arm pits. No chemo or radiation needed from very low Oncotype score, but I am taking tamoxifen. Thank you, Brenda.: Answers —Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S.: Stretching and massaging along the scars can be helpful.; Linda Miller, P.T.: What we usually recommend is along the scar itself, you actually massage perpendicular to the scar line. Therapists call that transverse friction massage. But it's important not just to focus on the scar line itself. As Dr. Brill mentioned, that mastectomy procedure goes down into the trunk as well. So massage should be done on the skin above and below the incision.; Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S.: The distribution of the breast and where the surgery takes place extends from the collar bone down to the base of the ribcage and from the midline of the chest all the way to the midline side of the body. So this is all potential area for scar formation.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called After Surgery: Short-term and Long-term Effects. Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Linda Miller, P.T. answered your questions about short-term and long-term side effects of breast surgery, and what you can do about them.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon and clinical instructor at the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Surgery in Philadelphia, PA. She also maintains a practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. Dr. Brill is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, she has published breast cancer research in medical journals such as Annals of Plastic Surgery and Cancer, and she has presented research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Linda Miller, P.T. is the clinical director of the Breast Cancer Physical Therapy Center, LTD, a private practice serving the Philadelphia, PA and southern New Jersey areas. Linda specializes in treating post-operative complications of breast cancer surgery, including lymphedema.