Jamie Costello is a medical student in the U.K. that is focusing his education on cosmetic and plastic surgery. Mr. Costello has written a piece for us on cesarean scar repair. Some repairs are needed due to poor healing, or poor surgical technique. Others may be due to a need to remove the “cesarean pouch”, or to remove as much of the scar as possible. Thank you, Mr. Costello, for sharing your knowledge of cesarean scar repair with us.
Motherhood is a beautiful thing and many mothers love to embrace it. However, going through pregnancy can be extremely strenuous on your body and cause many issues. These can include scarring, weight gain and if you’ve had a cesarean section, excessive skin caused by the surgical procedure.
A common result of having a c-section surgery is gaining a puffy pouch which occurs just below the scar formed from excessive skin forming. This is more commonly known as the ‘cesarean pouch’. The procedure of a c-section involves the cutting of skin and subcutaneous skin which is a layer of fat beneath the skin. There’s also the fascia, which is a fibrous tissue in the abdomen which holds vital organs together. This is the main cause of the cesarean pouch as unlike the skin that’s been cut, the fascia is left to heal naturally. How this heals is dependent on the individual and in some cases, some women are left without scarring or excessive skin, but this is quite rare.
What’s frustrating is that it can’t disappear just from having a good diet or exercising well. It would require a surgical procedure or another form of scar and removal option. Over time, during your recovery period, there can be reduced bulging of the pouch or they’ll find that scarring begins to deteriorate but this is no guarantee. This is because natural fat can be reduced from a good diet and regular exercise but scar tissue isn’t acted upon.
With this being the case, there are several options available that can help to resolve the c-pouch that you have. Which surgical procedure is suitable depends on the cesarean pouch and the nature of the scar. Below is a list of options available:
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck): This is a popular option for many women that go through a c-section. It can help to reduce the fat in the belly and can also remove the scars depending on where the cutting took place in the abdominal region.
Mini-Tummy Tuck: This is similar to a normal tummy tuck except the procedure focuses more on the lower abdomen region. This would be more ideal for patients who came through the procedure without too much excess skin and had already lost weight after the c-section.
Scar Removal: If the c-pouch occurs around where the incision took place, it would be a possible option to simply remove the scar entirely. This will allow the scar to heal or blend the scar around the tissue.
It’s worth noting that during the tummy tuck procedure scarring can also occur. This raises the question of whether it is worth having a tummy tuck considering you’ll still have scarring appearing. The difference between the c-section scar and the abdominoplasty surgery is that the abdominoplasty procedure can remove the excess c-pouch skin. This means the scar will appear less visible compared to the one received from a c-section procedure and the skin around your stomach will appear tighter. The abdominoplasty surgery will have many benefits to your skin.
Whether you wish to have it performed is entirely up to you. It is a lengthy procedure that requires several hours to perform but if you wish to have your cesarean pouch removed, it’s a legitimate way to do so. Weigh out the pros and cons of having plastic surgery and the reasons why you wish to have it performed. It may even be worth consulting with your doctor beforehand so it provides you with a better idea of what’s best for you.
Author Bio: Jamie Costello is a medical student based at a University in Manchester, United Kingdom. He’s looking to build a portfolio to express his knowledge of the various topics taught in his course, “Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery”. He’s had previous work experience with a cosmetic surgery Manchester based, which has allowed him to increase his knowledge in surgery topics. In his spare time when he’s not studying, he enjoys cycling and playing several sports including Football.