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Top Questions about Scars
Everything you need to know about scar tissue, pain, mobility, and the breakthrough therapy that's changing lives — McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release® (MSTR®).
The Root Causes
Scar tissue can become painful long after a wound heals due to trapped nerve fibres, chronic inflammation, and restricted movement — all of which are common in hypertrophic or contracture scars. Many people are surprised to find that a scar they've had for years suddenly becomes a source of discomfort or limited mobility.
The underlying issue is that scar tissue does not form in the same organised pattern as healthy skin. Instead, collagen fibres become tangled and disorganised, creating adhesions that tether surrounding nerves and connective tissue.
How MSTR® Helps
While home massage, silicone products, and topical creams offer some relief, targeted therapies like MSTR® are specifically designed to release adhesions, tethered nerves, and connective tissues to help restore mobility — often with faster results than general approaches.
MSTR® addresses the deep structural causes of scar pain rather than simply managing surface symptoms, making it a highly effective option for both recent and long-standing scars.
2. Can old scars be flattened or softened?
Yes — and the results can be remarkable. Even older scars, whether hypertrophic, keloid, or contracture, can be softened or flattened over time. Techniques such as silicone gel sheets, corticosteroid injections, cryotherapy, and laser therapy are commonly used with varying degrees of success.
For many people, combining these approaches with specialised manual therapies like MSTR® significantly enhances outcomes. MSTR® helps remodel collagen fibres, reduce scarring, and promote smoother, more flexible tissue. Incredibly, even decades-old scars can be flattened or softened — even hypertrophic and, in some cases, keloid scars have been known to flatten after MSTR® treatment. The unique approach MSTR® uses creates rapid changes that can be both felt and often seen.
Silicone Sheets
A non-invasive option for flattening raised scars over time.
Laser Therapy
Targets scar pigmentation and texture at a deeper level.
Corticosteroid Injections
Reduce inflammation and help soften firm scar tissue.
MSTR®
Remodels collagen, releases adhesions, and restores flexibility — even in old scars.
3. Does massage help - and what makes MSTR® different?
The Role of Massage
Massage has been used for a long time to assist in managing the effects of scarring, and the evidence suggests it does help. By applying pressure and movement to scar tissue, massage can improve circulation, reduce tightness, and begin to break down superficial adhesions. It is a widely accessible and well-established part of scar management.
However, general massage is not specifically designed to target the complex structural changes that occur within scar tissue — particularly at deeper layers where nerves and connective tissue become tethered.
The MSTR® Advantage
MSTR® is a very targeted approach to the direct treatment of scars and adhesions. Unlike general massage, it is designed to work precisely on the scar itself, addressing the underlying collagen disorganisation and nerve entrapment that cause ongoing symptoms.
MSTR® research, using ultrasound and myotonometry, appears to support its effectiveness. You can review the evidence on the MSTR® Research page. This evidence-informed approach sets MSTR® apart as a specialised, clinically grounded therapy.
4. Hypertrophic vs. Keloid Scars - What's the difference?
vs.
Understanding the distinction between these two scar types is essential for choosing the right treatment. Hypertrophic scars are raised and firm but remain within the wound boundary, often improving naturally over one to two years. Keloids, by contrast, grow beyond the original injury site, can be painful or itchy, and may not regress without active intervention.
While silicone sheets, pressure therapy, and steroid injections can help with both types, many clients find that MSTR®, when paired with these modalities, offers superior control over scar texture and height. MSTR® encourages optimal collagen alignment and reduces fibrotic tension, making it a powerful complement to conventional treatments — particularly for stubborn keloid and hypertrophic cases.
5. Can scar tissue restrict movement?
Yes — particularly contracture scars resulting from burns or surgical sites. These scars can adhere to underlying tissues, limiting range of motion and causing persistent pain. The restriction is not always immediately obvious; in some cases, people gradually adapt to reduced mobility without realising the scar is the underlying cause.
Beyond massage and silicone products, manual release therapies are essential for addressing movement restriction. MSTR® targets deep adhesions to gently free movement, restore elasticity, and prevent long-term tightness — more effectively than traditional massage alone. By releasing the tethered connective tissue at its source, MSTR® allows the body to regain its natural range of motion and reduces the compensatory patterns that often develop around restricted scars.
Identify the restriction
Assess whether the scar is adhering to underlying muscle, fascia, or nerve tissue.
Target deep adhesions
MSTR® works directly on the scar to release tethered connective tissue.
Restore elasticity & mobility
Gradual release of adhesions allows natural movement to return.
6. Do scars affect emotional wellbeing?
Although emotional and psychological difficulties from scarring are not evident in everyone, where negative emotions are felt, MSTR® can really help to release these trapped and stored emotions. Scars can carry a significant emotional weight — acting as a constant physical reminder of trauma, surgery, or injury. For some people, this emotional burden is as debilitating as the physical symptoms.
MSTR® practitioners frequently observe that when the texture and feeling of the scar changes — when normal sensation is restored to the scar and surrounding areas — negative emotions also reduce accordingly. This can happen quite quickly, even within the treatment session itself, making MSTR® a uniquely holistic therapy.
MSTR® is suitable for surgical scars as well as scars from traumatic injury — and is, in fact, the main reason MSTR® was created by Alastair McLoughlin.
7. What is an MSTR® treatment like?
Two of the most common questions people ask before beginning MSTR® are how many sessions they will need, and what the experience will actually feel like. Here is what you need to know.
1
How many sessions?
This depends on many variables: your age, the extent and depth of tissue injury, and any complications during healing such as infection. Often, non-complex cases resolve in around three sessions, though improvements are likely after your very first session. Consult your MSTR® practitioner for a personalised assessment. Find your nearest practitioner here.
2
How long is a session?
This varies depending on the nature and complexity of your case. Multiple scar sites may require multiple sessions. A typical first session involves a detailed consultation, evaluation, and treatment — allow approximately one hour. Future sessions may be shorter. Importantly, hands-on time is minimal: MSTR® is not a prolonged treatment. It is quick and effective, even on old scars.
3
Will it hurt?
Patients often report that MSTR® has been a pleasant experience. It is not forceful or invasive — some clients almost fall asleep during the session. In some cases, patients experience a feeling of tiny 'needles' under the skin as MSTR® is performed. This is simply the collagen in the scar being gently released. The sensation is momentary and soon passes, and patients do not often experience it in further sessions.
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