Wash your hair with mild shampoo as soon as possible after treatment and then not again until after the stitches have been removed. Dry your hair gently and do not comb over that area.
During the first 2 days you may carefully rinse your hair in the shower to remove blood and glass or dirt particles. After 2 days you may shower and shampoo your hair normally. Don't scrub repaired area or let water run on it for a long time.
If the laceration is on your scalp, it is OK to shampoo and wash. Be gentle and avoid excessive exposure to water. Take proper care of your wound to help reduce scarring. Call your provider if you have questions or concerns about how to care for stitches or staples at home.
Your doctor will tell you when to have your stitches or staples removed. This is usually in 7 to 14 days. How long you'll be told to wait depends on where the cut is located, how big and how deep the cut is, and what your general health is like. Your scalp may itch as it heals.
Keep the cut dry for the first 24 to 48 hours. After this, you can shower if your doctor okays it. Pat the cut dry. Don't soak the cut, such as in a bathtub.
Scalp wounds only
Wash your hair with mild shampoo as soon as possible after treatment and then not again until after the stitches have been removed. Dry your hair gently and do not comb over that area.
After those first 48 hours, though, it's totally fine to get your stitches briefly wet via the light spray of a shower. But emphasis on "briefly" here. Dr. Yaakovian stresses that you'll want to avoid soaking or submerging your stitches in water for about four weeks.
If the wound is on your head, you should be able to wash your hair after 5 days. Things to avoid during the first 5 days: don't stick a plaster on the skin glue. don't put creams or lotions on the glue.
You are able to have a bath or shower but you will need to keep your wound dry until your sutures or clips are removed. You can wash your hair with a mild shampoo once any clips or sutures are removed. You may also experience some numbness and tingling around the wound.
You can do this by sleeping with 2 pillows under your head. If your skin procedure was on 1 of your arms or legs, sleep with that body part raised above the level of your heart. You can do this by resting your arm or leg on pillows.
Keep your stitches or staples dry and covered with a bandage. Non-absorbable stitches and staples need to be kept dry for 1 to 2 days. Absorbable stitches sometimes need to be kept dry longer. Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to keep your stitches dry.
You might feel sharp, shooting pains in your wound area. This may be a sign that you're getting sensations back in your nerves. The feeling should become less intense and happen less often over time, but check with your doctor if you're concerned.
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.
Until your wound is entirely healed, you may need to wear a bandage that supports it. Take care of a scar. After the stitches are removed, you may have a scar. Sunblock should be applied if the area is exposed to the sun.
Hair follicle cells accelerate the onset of wound healing.
Go ahead and shower, doing your best to keep the affected area dry. If your cut is on your head or scalp, this typically leaves some dried blood in your hair, and so showering when you get home is expected. Just be sure to minimize your time in the shower and pat dry immediately afterward.
Sterile water or sterile saline is not necessary for cleaning wounds. There is no need to rub soap into a wound, but small amounts of soap or shampoo getting into a wound will not be harmful and can be rinsed out at the end of the shower.
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). Make sure you pat the area dry afterwards.
Wounds need to be covered so that they can heal properly. When a wound is left uncovered, the new surface cells that are being created can easily dry out. When these important cells dry out, it tends to slow down the healing process. A wound should be covered using a clean bandage.
A moist environment has been proven to facilitate the healing process of the wound by preventing dehydration and enhancing angiogenesis and collagen synthesis together with increased breakdown of dead tissue and fibrin.
You may need to cover your stitches with a bandage for 24 to 48 hours, or as directed. Do not bump or hit the suture area. This could open the wound. Do not trim or shorten the ends of your stitches.
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.
It's important to keep sutures clean and dry, especially for the first 24 hours. After 24 hours, you can wet the sutured area gently and quickly, for example in a sink or in the shower. Carefully pat the stitches dry immediately, as moisture can slow down the healing process.