Episode 20 - Does the Scar from a Hip Replacement Ever Go Away?

September 19, 2025

Hip replacement scars don’t disappear—but the truth about what happens over time may surprise you.

Hip Replacement Scar Healing: What It Really Looks Like Years After Surgery.

Life After Hip Replacement: Do Hip Replacement Scars Ever Truly Fade?

Hip replacement scar, hip replacement recovery, and life after hip replacement are topics many patients think about—but few people talk about honestly.

One of the most common questions people ask after surgery is simple but deeply personal:

Does the scar from a hip replacement ever go away?

In this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, double hip replacement patient Chris Bystriansky shares a real, long-term look at what happens to a hip replacement scar years after surgery. This is not medical theory or cosmetic speculation—this is lived experience from someone more than 10 years removed from hip replacement surgery.

Chris explains what hip replacement scars actually look like once the incision heals, how long it takes for raised scars to flatten, and why scars often change from raised to indented over time.

He discusses the difference between the incision healing phase and the long-term appearance of scar tissue, especially after an anterior hip replacement approach.

If you’re worried about how your hip replacement scar will look in shorts, swimwear, or intimate situations, this episode addresses those concerns head-on. Chris also shares what he did during recovery—including scar massage, physical therapy guidance, and conversations with healthcare professionals—to support healing and mobility without obsessing over cosmetic outcomes.

Beyond the physical scar, this episode also speaks to confidence after hip replacement surgery. A scar is not a sign of weakness, limitation, or something to hide. It’s a marker of recovery, resilience, and reclaiming your life after hip replacement.

Whether you are preparing for hip replacement surgery, recovering now, or years past your procedure, this episode offers reassurance, clarity, and perspective. Hip replacement scars may not fully disappear, but they do fade—and they do not define who you are or what you’re capable of after surgery.

If you’re searching for honest answers about hip replacement scars, hip replacement recovery, and living confidently after hip replacement surgery, this episode is for you.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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Episode Transcript

Episode 20 – Does the Scar from a Hip Replacement Ever Go Away? - Transcript

Welcome to the Hip Replacement Podcast, where recovery meets motivation and healing leads to a whole new lifestyle.

I’m Chris Bystriansky, your host. I’m an author, athlete, and double hip replacement patient. I’ve been through the surgeries, the setbacks, and the comebacks. And I’m here to help you do the same.

Each week, I’ll bring you tips, tools, expert advice, and inspiring stories to help you take back your life one step at a time.

Thanks for joining the Hip Replacement Podcast.

New hips, new you. Let’s go.
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Welcome back to the Hip Replacement Podcast. I’m Chris Bystriansky, your host. I’ve also had both of my hips replaced, one more than 10 years ago and the other more than 12 years ago, and I’m here to share my experiences with you.

Today, what we’re going to talk about is that scar following hip replacement surgery. And I don’t mean the emotional scar. I mean that physical scar on your hip. Does that thing ever go away?
I’m not talking about the incision. The incision and the closing up of that wound or incision site—I’m not going to go into that. I’m talking about after the incision site heals. Does that scar ever go away?
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A little bit about my surgeries. I had both of them done in the front, the anterior approach. There are two lines on my hips. The surgeries were about 18 months apart, and the scar on the first one was healing while I was undergoing the second surgery.

I don’t like scars. I don’t like blood and guts or anything like that. When the doctors took away the bandage, what it looked like to me was two big metal zippers. Each one of them.

It took a long time for those bumps to go away. When I say a long time, I mean over a year for the ridges in the zipper-like incision site to go flat. Before that, I could feel it through my pants. If I touched the skin on the front of my hips, I could feel the raised bumps.

I was getting anxious about whether these things were ever going to go away.
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Over a year later, they went relatively flat. Now, more than 10 and more than 12 years later, they’re very faint. You really have to be looking for them, but they’re still there.

Let me describe them. One is pretty straight, maybe six inches long. The other is a little crooked, also about six inches long. They’re directly in the front of my hips.

They’re not dark. The skin is actually a little lighter than the rest of my skin.
I was concerned about the long-term outlook of the scar—not overly worried, but I wanted to minimize it as much as possible. I asked a nutritionist if there was anything I could take to help. He gave me supplements meant to help break up scar tissue. I don’t remember what they were and won’t recommend anything specific—check with your doctor.
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I also massaged the area. I used baby oil and rubbed the area every day for 10 to 15 minutes, after the incision healed. It was still sore for a long time, but over the first year I massaged it more deeply and continued taking the supplements.

Maybe it helped. Maybe it didn’t. I don’t know. I just wanted to do everything I could.
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Now, 10+ and 12+ years later, what does it look like?

I can’t feel anything in my hips. When I look at it, the skin is a little lighter in a six-inch stretch on the front of my hips. It’s maybe half an inch wide.

The scar is no longer raised—it’s indented.

Imagine sitting down with a heavy box on your lap. When you remove the box, there’s an indentation where it rested. That’s what the scars look like. If I run my hand over them, I can feel the indentions.

That surprised me. I expected bumps, but now they’re indentions.
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I don’t know if this would be different with other surgical approaches like the side or back. Mine took over a year for the bumps to go down, flattened for a while, and then became indentions.
The scar doesn’t go away, but it gets very small.
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What about clothing? I wear shorts a lot. When I swim, I wear swim shorts or jammers. If I wore a Speedo, you’d probably see the edges of the scar—but I don’t plan on wearing one anytime soon.

If you wear bikinis, low-rise jeans, or revealing swimwear, the scar might be visible. If you can rock that, do it.

I wouldn’t worry about the scar. The body does a pretty good job healing itself.
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If you’re intimate with someone or wearing lingerie, you’re probably past the point of worrying about a scar anyway. That’s good news.

We can have these scars and still live full, great, confident, sexy lives.
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The scars don’t go away. They get smaller. They indent over time. You can try supplements, check with your doctor, and gently massage after healing.

Go live a full, happy life. Wear what makes you feel confident.

This is our body and our life. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
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Thanks so much for joining the Hip Replacement Podcast.

Until next time, I wish you the best recovery possible.
Take care.

Episode 20 - Does the Scar from a Hip Replacement Ever Go Away?

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