I’m in a Facebook group with women who are going through the same breast reconstruction surgery as I had last October (read about my DIEP Breast Reconstruction) and amongst various discussions, somebody mentioned how she’d had ‘Scar Work’ and how much it had helped her.
I’d never heard of Scar Work so I looked on the scarwork.uk website for more information and it’s a technique for promoting scar healing which was introduced to the UK by Sharon Wheeler. It’s a way of treating scars using various manipulations to help tightness, discomfort and promote better tissues under the skin.
I was curious to try it out on my stomach as the surgery I’d had was quite radical and although I healed really quickly, I still have weird sensations there, where it’s all settling down again. Luckily for me there was a lady in Bognor who could help, Donna Mazzotta, as there aren’t many trained Scar Work therapist so many people would have to travel a long way to see one.
[in case you’re curious, the images in this post are stock photos and not my actual tummy!]
What does Scar Work entail?
From my point of view, what happened was that I had an initial consultation with Donna (via Zoom, to reduce face-to-face contact) where she asked about my surgery and delved deep into my medical history. She advised that before she could begin I should check with my surgery team that it was OK to start this treatment, and they gave me the green flag really quickly.
So we started the hands-on sessions by laying on a massage table while Donna did various movements with her hands over my tummy. She worked on the scar itself as well as the whole of my abdomen.
It’s a bit like a massage session, although sometimes gets quite intense – but not painful – as she works on various structures inside me.
She says she can already feel huge changes and gives me ‘homework’ to do each week, which is to subject my stomach to various different sensations. For example, applying heat with a hot water bottle, flicking it, scratching it, using a knobbly ball on it – anything to trigger the nerve endings to respond. I actually have a knitting needle on my desk which I use to gently poke myself with!!!
These sensations help the scars heal quicker, internally, which is important because a lot of my stomach is still numb.
Who can benefit from Scar Work?
As far as I know, anyone with scars, whether they’re old or more recent, can benefit from Scar Work. What you see on the outside is just the tip of the iceberg, with most of the ‘action’ happening deep underneath the skin.
Here is some background info from Donna’s website and then she goes on to talk about how she’s helped me using this treatment.
What is Scar Work?
‘Scar Work’ is a new form of treatment performed by only a few qualified therapists in the UK. It was developed by Sharon Wheeler, herself a student of Ida Rolf who founded Rolfing and Structural Integration in the US. Scar Work consists of gentle, specialised techniques focus on integrating the adhered scar tissues into the fascial web, improving function of the surrounding tissues.
Both natural and surgical scars of any age can respond immediately, and the changes after just one intervention can be extensive. The technique starts with surface layers and reaches into the deepest layers of fascia of the bones and organs. The lumps, gaps, ridges and bumps in the scar tissue are rapidly smoothed out, while the tightness of the tissues subsides.
As normality is restored, the filmy ‘layers’ of fascia are able to glide across each other once again as the connective tissue begins to rehydrate, helping to release ‘stuck’ postural patterns and increase range of movement. As the dense fascial adhesions are reduced, numbness and nerve impairment is often also improved. Scar Work techniques help to facilitate the body’s own healing process- the changes that occur are usually permanent, and continue to release after the session.
What Donna says about my treatment
In session 1 I found that, on palpation, Ali’s deep abdomen tissue did not have much ‘slide and glide’ to the tissues due to the surgery / trauma to this area. After some lymphatic work and light touch Scar Work, the abdomen felt much more pliable, softer overall.
Session 2 continued with more lymphatic work to the abdomen, and I found that there was less resistance from Ali’s body now that she knew what to expect.
With each session, the abdomen continued to ‘unravel’ beneath the surface. Layering in other technique applications such as hot stone, vibration and side-lying work around the hip, I noticed after this session that Ali’s (already slim) abdomen had changed shape, looked flatter with less bunching of the tissues. This is a common change that I have seen with Scar Work to the abdomen.
I am really pleased with how Ali’s body has responded to this light touch work alongside the ‘homework’ Ali has been doing.
My final thoughts
I wanted to write this blog as it’s yet another subject on my cancer journey which was new to me. Hopefully, by writing about it, I can help others learn more and make use of this treatment themselves for any scars they may have.
I would highly recommend Scar Work as a treatment if you can find a local therapist. It’s not cheap but after the kind of surgery I had I think it really helps with long term healing. Donna’s advice is invaluable and has made me aware about how my tummy is healing and what I can do to help it along.
I’m going to organise more sessions and hopefully Donna can work on my breast scar too. My scar there doesn’t feel tight like my tummy does but I’m certain it will heal better with the therapy.
Website Links
The main Scar Work website below has lots of useful info as well as a ‘Find a therapist’ directory.
Donna Mazzotta’s website – for anyone local to me near Bognor Regis.
Read More
Read more about my cancer journey :
– My cancer diagnosis
– My first breast cancer surgery
– What happens at a chemo session?
– My chemo half time analysis
– My chemo side effects
– Making a breast cast
– My mastectomy
– My radiotherapy treatment
– 10 Ways to help someone with cancer
– Am I in remission?
– What is Scar Work?
– My breast reconstruction surgery
– Find travel insurance after cancer