Rufus R. Noble Although there’s nothing hazardous about outside scarring the thr, the punch Black women face at a higher risk of developing uterine fibroids, requiring the myomectomy procedure, and the possibility of developing keloids could be overwhelming. To help you navigate this, we spoke with doctors about what you can expect from the surgery and the following healing process.
What exactly do you mean by a myomectomy?
“The myomectomy is the technique [of] how fibroids are removed from uteruses, leaving the uterus intact, and essentially reconstructing or reconfiguring the uterus as [normally] as possible, but minus the fibroids,” says the doctor. Soyini Hawkins is a board-certified gynecology specialist at Georgia’s Fibroid and Pelvic Wellness Center. The majority of people who suffer from fibroids have to undergo surgery; however, for those who have them, there are three primary surgical options for myomectomies: abdominal, open or laparoscopic, or robot-assisted, all of which have different degrees of invasiveness, and risks of adhesion scarring or creation, according to Dr. Hawkins. The type of myomectomy that your doctor will recommend is based on the location, amount, and size of the fibroids you have.
Hysteroscopic myomectomies are performed with an instrument inserted in the uterus cavity through the cervix to see the fibroids and eliminate the fibroids. Because there aren’t any incisions and no incisions, the procedure is non-invasive, and, as Dr. Hawkins says, scarring is not a problem. However, the system itself can only treat fibroids that are located in the uterine cavities. In contrast, you can opt for the laparoscopic technique, which is a procedure that accesses the uterus by making several minor cuts on the abdomen, which can focus on more fibroids with minimal scarring from the small incisions. Myomectomies open or abdominal is a minor in-depth procedure in which surgeons make a C-section cut on the lower abdomen to access and eliminate the fibroids with the most excellent chance of scarring or adhesions forming.
Consultations with your doctor can aid you in determining the surgical procedure that is the best for you. However, some studies have found that laparoscopic myomectomies provide better outcomes (including less postoperative pain, less duration of hospitalization, and lower general complications) than open myomectomy.
What are the risks of scarring after myomectomy?
If we think of postoperative scarring, we typically think of the ones that appear on the top of the skin that are obvious to anyone with naked eyesight. However, following a myomectomy, scar tissue may also develop in the interior of your body, impacting the lining of the uterus.
“When we remove the fibroids, scar tissue forms,” Dr. Hawkins. “Scarring is normal and essential to strengthen the uterus however, you shouldn’t allow things to adhere to it. It is not a good idea to allow adhesions to develop.”
Adhesions, which are bands of scar tissue that bind two parts of your body’s tissue that are generally not connected, can be associated with severe complications like minor pelvic pain and complications from subsequent surgeries or diminished fertility. They’re more likely to occur in open myomectomies because of the nature of the procedure. “That incision is generally approximately 8-10 centimeters long,” is the opinion of the doctor Dr. Hawkins, describing an open myomectomy. “The more extensive the cut on the inside is, in essence, an increased risk of adhesions forming.”
Despite the higher risk of adhesion and the fact that their appearance is crucial to their professional life, they may still opt for an open myomectomy due to the location of the incision, as per Dr. Hawkins. “For them, they’re willing to take that risk of adhesion formation because then nobody can see [the incision scar] if they put on a bikini or they put on skimpy underwear,” she says.
What is the matter with Keloids?
As I said, keloids are a response to scarring, and should you have skin that is prone to keloids, there’s the possibility that this type of scarring on the outside could occur in the postoperative period. “It’s not something that you can necessarily prevent,” says Dr. Strachan. “Someone who forms keloids is keloid-prone to injuries that other people don’t form keloids with.”
What can you do to lessen the appearance of scarring caused by keloid?
Because keloids don’t harm your health in any way and aren’t a threat to your health, leaving them alone is a perfectly acceptable option. But for a few people, their appearance and the location of keloids may cause anxiety, in which the person may wish to minimize the appearance of their keloids as is possible.
Proper post-op care can ensure that you get the best results from your healing. This is why doctor. Strachan says you must adhere closely to the post-op instructions given by your doctor. “You want to minimize the inflammation, tension, and trauma on the scar [post-op],” she says, “so you’re going to take really good care of your wound… If they tell you don’t bend over, don’t do certain things, then don’t do that.”
To treat postoperative scars, the cosmetic dermatologist from New York, Dr. Michele Green, often recommends Silagen as a topical treatment for scars that helps to smooth and diminish visible scars. She also suggests that the use of pads made of silicone (which are available at a pharmacy) is often recommended however, she observes that these pads can irritate the skin of specific patients.
