After your stitches, clips and dressings have been removed You should be able to wash normally after your stitches, dressings and clips have been removed. It's usually better to have a shower until the wound has healed to avoid soaking it completely. Afterwards, pat your wound and the area around it dry.
"It takes about four to six weeks for tissue to rebuild to its maximum strength, during which time it's best to avoid tension, stretching or shearing forces at the suture site," explains Dr.
“Overall, I recommend avoiding submerging the incision for at least a week if possible,” Hannan says. “If absolutely necessary, a waterproof adhesive bandage should be used, and the minimum amount of time in the water as is possible for that person.”
Keep the area clean and dry for the first 24 to 48 hours after stitches have been placed. Then, you can start to gently wash around the site 1 to 2 times daily. Wash with cool water and soap. Clean as close to the stitches as you can.
If you were not instructed to use Advanced Healing Bandages, please use a Q-tip to apply Vaseline/Aquaphor OR Mupirocin and Gentamicin mixed 1:1 under a Band-Aid or a non-adhesive pad and tape. By the 4th week after surgery, your wound may require some massage.
1. Continue applying Vaseline or Aquaphor for 2-3 weeks after suture removal. AVOID antibiotics ointment as they may cause a rash or itching.
Wound disruption may be caused by stitches or staples that are improperly applied. Sometimes wound separation will occur when sutures are removed too early in the healing process. Decreased blood flow. Good blood flow is important to move oxygen and healing cells to the wound and to clear away bacteria and dead cells.
For the first day, keep the wound wrapped and dry. After the first day, bathe the area around the wound twice daily with clean water. Avoid using hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which might cause the wound to heal more slowly.
Slight bleeding after suture removal is normal. If you have fluid leakage, bleeding that does not stop, redness, or the wound opens up, please contact us.
If you have sutures (stitches): -Apply Vaseline or Aquaphor healing ointment to the sutured site 3-4x/ day for the next three to four days. The ointment will help the wound heal more quickly and minimize scarring.
The discovery that a moist environment actively supports the healing response when compared with a dry environment highlights the importance of water and good hydration levels for optimal healing. The benefits of 'wet' or 'hyper-hydrated' wound healing appear similar to those offered by moist over a dry environment.
Keep the wound bandaged and dry for the first day. After the first day, wash around the wound with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the wound with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a non-stick bandage.
It is essential that people do not remove their stitches until the wound has had sufficient time to heal. General guidelines on how long to wait before removing stitches are: 10–14 days for stitches on the body. 7 days for stitches on the head or neck.
After 48 hours, surgical wounds can get wet without increasing the risk of infection. After this time, you can get your stitches wet briefly with a light spray (such as in the shower), but they should not be soaked (for example, in the bath).
Call a doctor if you have any of these signs and symptoms after stitches (sutures) have been removed, redness, increasing pain, swelling, fever, red streaks progressing away from the sutured site, material (pus) coming from out of the wound, if the wound reopens, and bleeding.
Caring for the Wound
Try to remove all drainage and any dried blood or other matter that may have built up on the skin. Do not use skin cleansers, alcohol, peroxide, iodine, or soap with antibacterial chemicals. These can damage the wound tissue and slow healing.
Sutures should be removed within 1-2 weeks of their placement, depending on the anatomic location. Prompt removal reduces the risk of suture marks, infection, and tissue reaction. The average wound usually achieves approximately 8% of its expected tensile strength 1-2 weeks after surgery.
A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.
A slight ooze may occur when the suturing is removed. This is normal. It is normal for the scar to be red in colour initially, but this will fade over the next few months.
While a patient may feel that one or two stitches are all that's needed, 10 or more may in fact be required to close their skin.
Use Vaseline® Jelly for Scars
Using petroleum jelly for scars may be beneficial during and after the healing process. Vaseline® Jelly is known for protecting minor cuts and burns. It creates a protective barrier on the skin's surface to lock in moisture to help protect skin while it heals.
Continue applying the petroleum jelly until the wound has fully healed. Open wounds heal more slowly. A large wound can take 4 weeks or more to heal. A dressing (e.g. a plaster or gauze & tape) can be applied to protect the wound and keep it clean.
After the first 24 to 48 hours, wash around the cut with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the cut with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a non-stick bandage. Apply more petroleum jelly and replace the bandage as needed.
These are the usual time periods: stitches on your head – you'll need to return after 3 to 5 days. stitches over joints, such as your knees or elbows – you'll need to return after 10 to 14 days. stitches on other parts of your body – you'll need to return after 7 to 10 days.