Encounters: Journal Post 3

This week, I spent a lot of time watching TV. I typically don't indulge in television, but as I did homework in my home, it was comforting to have the television on in the background. I was watching Botched, a surgery show on E! that follows the lives of plastic surgeons who specialize in repairing botched surgeries. They were telling the story of a woman who had undergone multiple tummy tucks due to the negligence of her surgeons before. I immediately thought "this can't possibly be any good for her tissues." Curious on the subject, I decided to look up some info on the effects of plastic surgery on tissues. Now, I am very much aware that surgeries take a toll on the body and tissues, but I was curious to see the depth of these effects.

Thanks to the power of the internet and Google, I was able to find a few answers to my questions.
LiveStrong.com had a great article on the effects of scar tissue. Besides the obvious one--the change in appearance--the article spoke of a few points. One of these points included the effects on the connective tissues and functions over all.

Depending on where the scar lies, it is possible for certain things to be affected such as range in motion. If a patient does not undergo physical therapy immediately after surgery, the are at risk of losing some range of motion in joints.

Because of the biology of tissue is altered after surgery, the connective or epithelial tissues may not function as they should, leaving sensitive tissue. Now you'd think that the site where scar tissue lie is what causes pain because it is weak, sensitive tissue. This is not the case, however. Muscles and connective tissues that are being restricted are what cause pain. Surgery not only affects what you see.

Multiple surgeries can have many effects on the body, aside from histology. But it is interesting and important to know just exactly how altered the body can be after surgery. It may not seem like much when you think of a single scar. But the changes after surgery are much more than skin deep.


Article Linked: http://www.livestrong.com/article/166660-the-effects-of-scar-tissue-after-surgery/