I had an infection on my scar and it would probably be sore if it was infected. When the infection had cleared up, I still had that kind of smell that you're talking about, which was just from the scar being damp. The best thing I found was to use a hair dryer on the scar - it's the best way of keeping it dry and won't irritate your scar cos nothing's touching it. You might have to do it a couple of times a day, but it does keep it dry really well.