Whether this is your first caesarean or you’re a few babies in, caring for your C-section scar properly can make a real difference to how it looks and feels for years to come. Here’s a clear, evidence-based guide to healing timelines, wound care, scar massage, and when silicone and sun protection come in.
What to Expect From Your C-Section Scar
A caesarean incision is typically 10–15cm long and sits just below the bikini line. In the days after surgery, your skin edges seal first — usually within about two days — while the deeper muscle and tissue layers continue healing for months behind the scenes. The visible scar itself keeps changing and maturing for up to two years.
Healing Timeline
- Day 1–2: Skin edges seal.
- Weeks 1–6: Avoid heavy lifting (nothing heavier than your baby), driving, strenuous exercise, swimming, and intercourse. Dissolvable stitches can take up to six weeks to fully dissolve.
- Weeks 6–8: Most C-section scars are fully healed on the surface by this point.
- Up to 2 years: Scar tissue keeps remodeling underneath, which is why ongoing scar massage and care can continue to help well beyond the initial healing period.
Early Wound Care
Keep the wound clean and dry, using only water, and pat it gently dry rather than rubbing. Follow whatever dressing instructions your care team gave you — some dressings come off before you leave hospital, while others stay on for several days and are removed by a community midwife. Light, indirect showering is usually fine with most dressings, but avoid submerging the wound or spraying water directly onto it.
Contact your community midwife if you notice visible suture material, unusual knots, or small plastic beads at the ends of the wound — this can mean non-dissolvable stitches need to be removed.
Signs of Infection to Watch For
Infection can start two to three days after surgery and, left untreated, can continue for two to three weeks. People with diabetes, smokers, and people with a higher BMI have a somewhat higher risk, but it’s worth knowing the signs regardless:
- Redness, warmth, or swelling around the wound
- Green or yellow discharge, or a distinctive smell from the wound
- The wound opening up
- Fever, feeling generally unwell, or pain that’s increasing rather than easing
If you notice any of these, contact your GP, community midwife, or maternity triage promptly — don’t wait it out. A wound swab and a course of antibiotics can usually resolve things quickly when caught early.
Scar Massage: When and How
Scar massage can help with tightness and mobility, but timing matters — starting too early, before the wound is fully closed, risks reopening it and increasing infection risk. Only start once the wound has completely healed, with no scabs or open areas left, and check with your midwife, health visitor, or GP first if you’re unsure. It’s never too late to start, even months or years later.
A simple routine once you’re cleared to begin:
- Do this after a bath or shower, when the skin is warm, optionally using an oil or scar gel you’re not allergic to.
- Start by massaging the skin around the scar, then gradually move onto the scar itself, slowly increasing pressure.
- Make small circles above, below, and directly on the scar, 5–10 times in each direction.
- Run vertical strokes across the scar, 5–10 times.
- Move side to side along the scar for 10–15 seconds each way.
- Gently pinch and roll the scar tissue along its length, working in small sections.
Aim for at least four sessions a week, five to ten minutes each, easing off as the scar becomes more comfortable and mobile. Some pulling or mild burning is normal at first; if you feel real pain, stop, give it a few weeks, and try again — and check in with your GP if pain continues.
Silicone and Scar Products
Once your wound is fully closed, silicone gel or sheeting is one of the most widely recommended ways to support healthy scar healing — it keeps the area hydrated, can ease itchiness, and tends to work particularly well on scars that are still red or pink. Many C-section mums build it into their massage routine, using a gel like our Rejuvasil Silicone Scar Gel, our dedicated Post Baby C-Section Kit, or a silicone sheet from the C-section scar care range. Consistency over weeks and months matters more than any single application.
Sun Protection
New scar tissue is more vulnerable to the sun than the skin around it — it can darken with sun exposure or lighten unevenly if it burns. Since a C-section scar sits low on the abdomen, it’s often covered by clothing, but if you’re at the pool or beach, a higher-coverage swimsuit or SPF30+ sunscreen on the area is worth it, especially in that first year.
If Your Scar Becomes Raised or Thick
Most C-section scars settle into a thin, pale line over several months. Some people — particularly those with darker skin — develop a raised, red scar known as a keloid instead. If that’s happening to you, our guide to keloid scars covers why they form and what treatment looks like, and it’s worth raising with your GP.
This page is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for personalised medical advice. If you have any concerns about your wound or scar, please contact your midwife, GP, or maternity team.
References
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, “Caesarean Section Wound Care.”
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, “Scar Massage After Caesarean.”
