Medical Oncologist
After your operation
Scar care and massage after breast surgery
What helps a breast surgery scar is time, gentle massage once it has fully healed, keeping it out of strong sun for the first year, and a plain moisturiser. That is most of it. Scars look their worst at six to eight weeks and keep improving for a year or more, which is the single most useful thing to know.
MM
Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
The short answer
What actually helps a breast surgery scar?
Time, gentle massage once it has fully healed, keeping it out of strong sun for the first year, and a plain moisturiser. That is most of it. Scars keep improving for a year or more, which is the single most useful thing to know.
Why the six-week scar is not the final scar
Scars look their worst at around six to eight weeks: red, raised, firm and often itchy. This is when most women conclude the result is permanent and become distressed about it. The redness fades, the raised texture flattens and the firmness softens over the following months.
When to start doing anything
Not until the wound has completely closed with no scabs, no gaps and no ooze, and your team has confirmed it. Applying anything earlier adds an infection risk rather than helping. For most women that means a few weeks after surgery.
Why massage is worth the trouble
Scar tissue can tether to the layers beneath, which pulls when you move and limits your shoulder. Massage keeps the scar mobile rather than stuck down, and that matters more for how the area functions than for how it looks.
Nothing you put on a scar changes its colour permanently. What changes it is time and staying out of the sun.The technique
How to massage the scar
Check it is ready
Fully closed, no scabs, no gaps, no discharge, and your team has said yes. If any part of the wound is still open, wait and ask again.
Use a plain moisturiser
An unperfumed cream or oil is enough. Expensive scar products are not required, and perfumed products can irritate skin that is already sensitive or recovering from radiotherapy.
Work along the scar, then across it
Small firm circles with two fingers, moving slowly along the line, then repeat working across it. You are trying to move the scar over the tissue underneath rather than rub the surface.
A few minutes, twice a day
Consistency matters far more than duration or force. A couple of minutes morning and evening for several months does more than occasional vigorous sessions.
Stop if it hurts or reddens
Firm pressure is fine; pain is not. If an area becomes sore, red or breaks down, stop and ring rather than pushing through it.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat helps
What is worth doing, and what is not
Very little is needed, and some of what is sold is simply expensive moisturiser.
Sun protection
New scars darken permanently if exposed during the first year, which matters a great deal in strong sunlight. Keep the area covered or use a high protection factor once healed.
Silicone gel or sheets
The one product group with reasonable evidence, mainly for raised or thickened scars. Worth asking about if yours is becoming lumpy rather than flattening.
Ask before starting, particularly if you are having radiotherapy.Physiotherapy for tethering
If the scar pulls when you lift your arm, or feels stuck to the chest wall, a physiotherapist can release it. This affects function, not just appearance, and is worth a referral.
Time, mostly
The largest single factor by far. A scar at one year looks substantially different from the same scar at two months, with or without any product applied to it.
Not worth it
- Vitamin E oil, which can irritate
- Expensive branded scar creams
- Anything before the wound has closed
Talk to our team
Have a question about your situation?
Call the helpline or leave your details, and someone will help you arrange a consultation at the CION centre nearest you. One helpline serves every CION centre.
Call 1800 202 8726
Helpline open 24/7
Words you will hear
The vocabulary, in plain language
- Hypertrophic scar
- A raised, thickened scar that stays within the original wound line. Common, and it often flattens over a year or two.
- Keloid
- Scar tissue growing beyond the original wound edges. More common in some skin types, and worth mentioning to your surgeon before any future operation.
- Tethering
- The scar sticking to the tissue beneath, so it pulls or dimples when you move. Responds well to massage and physiotherapy.
- Scar contracture
- Scar tissue tightening and shortening as it matures, which can restrict shoulder movement.
- Radiation fibrosis
- Tissue becoming firmer and less elastic after radiotherapy. It develops slowly and can affect the scar area.
- Maturation
- The long process of a scar fading, flattening and softening. It continues for a year or more.
Being straight with you
What scar care cannot do
Nothing removes a scar. Massage and moisturiser keep it soft and mobile and may help it settle a little faster, but the eventual appearance is largely determined by your skin, the operation and where the incision was placed.
Radiotherapy changes the picture
Treated skin becomes firmer and the scar area can tighten months or years later. Keep moisturising and keep your shoulder exercises going through and after radiotherapy, and tell your team if the area becomes noticeably tighter.
Being unhappy with it is a legitimate reason to ask
Women often feel they should be grateful and say nothing. A scar that is raised, tethered, painful or badly placed can be treated. Wait until it has matured, then raise it rather than assuming nothing can be done.
Looking at it for the first time
Choose when, and consider having someone there. Many women describe this as harder than the operation itself. Your breast care nurse will do it with you if you ask, and it is a common request rather than an unusual one.
Commonly believed
What people are told about scars
Start rubbing oil on it as soon as possible.
Applying anything to a wound that has not fully closed adds an infection risk and does not speed healing. Wait until the wound is completely closed and your team confirms it, which is usually a few weeks after surgery.
This is how the scar will look forever.
Scars look their worst at six to eight weeks and continue improving for a year or more. Judging the result at that point causes a great deal of unnecessary distress. Wait before deciding you are unhappy with it.
Expensive scar creams work better.
A plain unperfumed moisturiser used consistently for massage does the same job. The one product group with reasonable evidence is silicone, mainly for raised scars. Vitamin E oil is commonly recommended and commonly irritates.
Complaining about a scar after cancer is ungrateful.
How your body looks and moves affects you for decades. A tethered or painful scar is a functional problem as well as a cosmetic one, and both are treatable. Raising it is reasonable, not vanity.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about scars
When can I start massaging?
Once the wound is completely closed with no scabs or gaps and your team has confirmed it, usually a few weeks after surgery. Starting earlier risks opening the wound or introducing infection. If any part is still healing, wait and ask again at your next appointment.
How long until the redness goes?
Most of the fading happens over the first six to twelve months, continuing more slowly after that. Darker skin often takes longer and may leave a permanently darker line. Sun exposure in the first year is what makes darkening permanent.
My scar pulls when I lift my arm. Is that normal?
Common in the early months, and it usually means the scar is tethered to tissue underneath. Massage helps, and a physiotherapist can release it more effectively. Ask for a referral rather than working around the restriction.
Can I use silicone sheets?
They are the product group with the best evidence, particularly for raised or thickened scars. Ask your team first, especially if you are having or have recently had radiotherapy, since treated skin may not tolerate the adhesive.
What if the scar is getting thicker rather than flatter?
Mention it. A hypertrophic or keloid scar can be treated, with silicone, pressure, or injections in some cases. Earlier treatment works better than later, so raise it at your next follow-up rather than waiting a year.
Is it safe to have a tattoo over it?
Many women do, including nipple tattooing as part of reconstruction and decorative tattoos over mastectomy scars. Wait until the scar is fully mature, usually at least a year, and discuss it with your team first, particularly after radiotherapy.
Why is my scar numb but also sensitive?
Nerves were divided during surgery and recover unevenly, so an area can feel nothing to light touch and be uncomfortable against clothing. Gentle daily massage helps the nervous system readjust and usually reduces the sensitivity.
Can the scar be revised surgically?
Sometimes, once it has fully matured and if it is causing a functional or significant cosmetic problem. It is not usually offered early, because scars improve so much on their own. Raise it after a year if you are still unhappy.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Real Stories. Real Voices.
15,000+ patients chose CION. Hear from them directly.
These aren't paid endorsements or written reviews. These are video testimonials from real patients and families — recorded on their own phones, in their own words. Pick any one. Watch it. Then decide.
4.8★800+ Google reviews
50+video testimonials
15,000+patients treated
Read all 800+ reviews on Google
Start Your Story. Book Free Consultation.Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. Each centre also names the areas it serves, so you can place it without a map. Consultation and day-care Chemotherapy run at every one of them.
Warangal
Vizag
Talk to our team
Speak to a breast cancer specialist
Call the helpline or leave your details, and someone will help you arrange a consultation at the CION centre nearest you. One helpline serves every CION centre.
Call 1800 202 8726
Helpline open 24/7
Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Scars after breast cancer surgery
- National Cancer Institute — Surgery to treat cancer
- Breast Cancer Now — Scars after breast surgery
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.