C-section shelf help

It's true, the skin is loose and can't return any further, i had a shelf from my natural delivery

I’ve been going to a women’s health physio who told me you can get rid of the shelf through breaking down the scar tissue. Not sure if it would still work after 2 years but worth exploring xx

I also had an emergency c-section and my scar is quite raised and has keloid scarring. It's very tight in that area and numb too. I went to see a physio and they recommended massaging the area to loosen it and also to do some shockwave therapy, which is basically a laser that they rub along the scar tissue to break it down. It's meant to help mostly with scar appearance though, and I haven't tried it out more than once to know what the longterm results are. But maybe worth a shot?

Hey, scar therapist here who works on the 'shelf' of other women almost every day!
It's usually caused by underpinning of scar tissue. Where it's got tight and shortened and 'stuck down' so when you stand the loose skin over the top of it folds over.
I'd highly reccomend seeing a scar therapist that uses negative pressure machines like Lymphatouch to help. But if you'd like to try and sort it yourself, start by introducing yourself to scar and doing some gentle massaging in circles above, below and on it. There are plenty of videos on YouTube. Once you're used to it and providing your scar is older than 16 weeks then you can start using facial cups for negative pressure (sandskin ones on amazon are what I use in clinic!) start with the tiny ones and draw up skin above and below the scar in lines along it, holding it for a few seconds and squeezing the cup to release pressure before you move on (the goal is to not hear the suction sound or have a 'pop' when coming off the skin) hope this helps 🫶🏻

It's never too late to work on it, start some massages yourself now. Another thing to help is deep core strengthening, do exercises like belly breathing, marches, reverse planks, leg lifts, pelvic tilts or hip thrusts. Google and YouTube have good lists or workout videos to focus on your core.

that’s really helpful. Why do you need to wait 16 weeks to use the cups though? I’ve just started using them at 10 weeks but wondering if I should wait longer now x

hi sian, i am 3 weeks pp. is it too early to do the massages? I feel like my scar has not healed properly yet

yes still too early! You can focus on reconnecting nerve sensations around it by using a clean dry wash cloth on your belly button and below working towards the scar or a clean sterile makeup brush to desensitise the nerves. Scar massage should start no earlier than 6-8weeks pp when all the layers of scar tissue are superficially healed! Hope this helps x

sorry only just seen this and it's a little too late to reply now but we wait 16 weeks due to the scar tissue layers needing to have some tensile strength to them, too much pressure too early could retear tissues!