Stoma Reversal Scar (UK): Healing, Scar Care and What to Wear

How does a stoma reversal scar heal?

During a stoma reversal, your surgeon frees the bowel from the belly wall, joins it back together and closes the opening the stoma came through. What is left is a small wound exactly where your stoma used to be, and that wound becomes your stoma reversal scar.

The muscle layer underneath is stitched closed. For the skin on top there are a few options, and your surgeon chooses the one that suits you:

• Purse-string closure. A stitch runs in a circle around the edge of the wound and is pulled tight, like the cord of a drawstring bag. A small round opening of about 0.5 to 1 cm stays in the middle so wound fluid can drain, and it heals from the inside out.
• Straight-line closure. The skin is stitched or stapled in a line, like other surgical cuts.
• Left open to heal. Sometimes the skin is left open at first and the wound fills in from the bottom up, with dressings that your team or a home nurse will show you how to change.

The purse-string method has one clear advantage: a 2024 Cochrane review found clearly fewer wound infections with it than with a straight-line closure, and people were a little more satisfied with how it looked six and twelve months later. The trade-off is patience. In the studies pooled by a Korean research team, a purse-string wound took just under four weeks on average to close, compared with about two weeks for a straight line.

Occasionally the old midline incision has to be reopened for the reversal. Then you have two scars, and everything below applies to both. For the operation itself, see our guides to ileostomy reversal surgery and life after stoma reversal surgery.

How long does a stoma reversal scar take to heal?

A scar isn't finished when the wound closes. It keeps remodelling for many months. This is the rough path; your body sets the pace.

1. The first days

   A dressing covers the wound and you usually stay in hospital for a few days. Slight redness right at the edge, a tight feeling and a little fluid from the small opening are all part of the start.

2. Week 1

   At home, look at the wound every day and keep it clean and dry. Many hospitals suggest a dry dressing for the first week, changed after your shower.

3. Weeks 2 to 6

   The opening of a purse-string wound gets smaller and closes, in studies after just under four weeks on average. For the first two weeks, lift nothing heavier than a half-full kettle, and avoid heavy lifting until about six weeks.

4. Months 2 to 12

   The scar is closed but still pink or red, sometimes a little firm or raised. This is when real scar care starts: moisturising, massage, silicone and sun protection.

5. Up to 2 years

   Most scars become flatter and paler with time. That can take up to two years, sometimes longer.

Stoma reversal scar care, step by step

At first the goal is a clean, calm wound; later it is a soft, pale scar. These six steps take you through both stages.

1. Check it daily

   Look at the wound every day with a mirror and good light, so you notice early if something changes.

2. Keep it clean and dry

   After showering, pat the area gently dry and, if your hospital advises it, put on a fresh dry dressing.

3. Avoid pressure

   A narrow waistband rubbing right across the wound is uncomfortable now. Soft high-waisted trousers or dresses sit above the spot.

4. Massage once it has closed

   Only when the wound has fully healed, massage the scar a few times a day for a few minutes with an unperfumed moisturiser.

5. Try silicone

   Silicone gel or silicone sheets from the pharmacy can improve how a scar looks. Ask your pharmacist or GP which one suits you.

6. Protect it from the sun

   For at least a year, keep the scar covered in the sun or use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

When should your scar be checked?

Most stoma reversal scars heal without trouble. It still helps to know a few signs, so you can act quickly.

A bulge at the scar: incisional hernia

If a soft bulge appears at the old stoma site, smaller when you lie down and bigger when you sit, stand or cough, it may be an incisional hernia. Most show up in the first two years after surgery, and they are more likely with extra weight, older age, earlier hernias and doing too much in the first weeks. Have it checked. Depending on what your team finds, they may suggest a support belt or binder, or talk with you about surgery.

What to wear with a new stoma reversal scar

In the first weeks

While the wound heals, anything that doesn't press or rub on the spot is good. Soft joggers, dresses and loose tops are your best friends now. A high, wide waistband that sits above the scar usually feels better than a narrow one running right across the wound. Add a loose top and nobody sees the dressing.

Once the scar has closed

Almost everything fits again. High-waisted pieces still feel good because they lie over the scar rather than on it. High-waisted stoma pants have a soft, wide waistband that sits above the spot, and a soft stoma wrap is a band around the waist that lies flat over the scar, smooths your silhouette under fitted clothes and gives a gentle sense of hold. You can wear both with or without a stoma.

Swimwear and summer

Swimming is back on once the wound has fully closed and your team says yes. Whether you show the scar or cover it is your call. A tankini or high-waisted bikini bottoms from our stoma swimwear cover the spot, and the fabric protects the young scar from the sun at the same time. Where the scar stays bare, use SPF 30 or higher.

Show it, cover it or tattoo it

For some people the scar is a quiet reminder of a hard time that is over. Others would rather not see it. Both are fine, and how you feel about it can change over time.

If you're thinking about a tattoo, talk first with your care team about the spot and the right timing for you, then with an experienced tattoo artist about the design and placement. The scar should be fully healed. You'll find ideas in our post on tattoos for people with a stoma.

And the other scars?

Besides the stoma scar you may have a longer scar from open surgery or a few small keyhole scars. The same care applies: let them heal, then moisturise, massage and protect them from the sun.

Movement, driving and work after a stoma reversal

Walking is good for you from day one, for your circulation, your breathing and your strength. Go a little further each day and plan an afternoon rest at first. Most people ease back into harder exercise after about six weeks.

For lifting: nothing heavier than a half-full kettle for the first two weeks, and no heavy loads until about six weeks. That gives the muscle layer under the scar time to knit firmly.

You can drive when you can concentrate fully and do an emergency stop without pain, often after at least two weeks. The DVLA does not set a fixed time, but some car insurers have their own rules after abdominal surgery, so check with yours. Go back to work when you feel ready, ideally on fewer hours at first.

Questions to ask your team before you go home

• How was my wound closed: purse-string, straight line or left open?
• Do stitches or staples need removing, and when?
• How often do I change the dressing, and when can I shower and bathe?
• When can I start moisturising, massaging and using silicone on the scar?
• When can I lift, exercise, swim and drive?
• Who do I call if the wound gets red, weeps or a bulge appears?

Stoma reversal scar: your questions