Scar management after hand injury or surgery: gentle basics
Surgery & recovery··6 min read·By HandTherapy·Education only; not individualized medical advice.
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Journal articles summarize topics with cited sources for education. Citations are for context, not an endorsement by those organizations. This is not individualized medical or legal advice.
Scar appearance and sensitivity change over months. Early priorities are usually wound healing, infection prevention, and protecting repairs — not aggressive scar “breaking down.” Once skin is closed and your team clears it, therapists may introduce desensitization, massage, and range-of-motion progressions.
Desensitization is a graded exposure idea
Sensitive scars can make everyday textures feel intense. Desensitization typically progresses from soft fabrics to more textured materials in small doses. The app’s scar desensitization exercise page is written as a gentle template — still defer to your therapist if they want a different order or pace.
UV and scars
Dermatology organizations emphasize sun protection for skin health. For scars, sun protection is often discussed as a practical way to reduce long-term pigment changes in healing skin — especially on exposed areas like the dorsum of the hand.
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Sources & further reading
- Care of Casts and Splints — AAOS OrthoInfo(accessed 2026-04-22)
- Sun protection — American Academy of Dermatology(accessed 2026-04-22)
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