If you have a dressing over your stitches, avoid getting it wet. Some dressings are waterproof, so you could wet your dressing lightly – for example, with the spray from a shower. However, you should not submerge your dressing under water. If you're not sure whether your dressing is waterproof, avoid getting it wet.
Showering requires a little extra protection for your wound. Keep the wound dry with waterproof bandages that seal on all four sides. This will help keep water from leaking into your wound. Avoid having strong streams of water come in contact with the wound, or soaking your wound in water.
Patients can use SealSkin medical wrap around wound dressings and drain tubes prior to bathing and ambulating to keep everything under it dry and secure. For nurses and caregivers, SealSkin medical wrap will make post-operative care easier and less stressful.
Don't get your wound wet in the bath or shower.
This keeps the wound too wet and can spread bacteria from other parts of your body into the wound. You can keep your wound dry by using a cast/wound protector or using Press-N-Seal plastic wrap to cover the wound area then tape a kitchen trash bag over the wound/dressing.
Changing the dressing
The original dressing should be left in place for at least two days (48 hours) (or as advised by the nurse/doctor), provided that the wound is not oozing. The wound must be kept dry. If the dressing becomes wet from blood or any other liquid it must be changed.
You can secure/further protect your bandage by using a plastic bag and securing it on to the wound with tape. Plastic gloves can also be used if the wound is on the hand or such area, and secured firmly with waterproof tape. You could use a cling type wrap or rubbish bag if you have no plastic bag on hand.
Wet-to-dry gauze dressings are often used with open wounds. They help clean the wound and remove dead tissue. The dressing is changed 1 to 3 times a day. If you need pain medicine, take it about 30 to 40 minutes before you change your dressing.
Using a Shower Protection Cover
These tend to be made with polyurethane or another waterproof latex-free material and feature adhesive backing. In order to bathe as your wound heals, placing a waterproof protection cover over the dressing is recommended.
Keep the wound clean and dry until it has healed. If your wound is closed but uncovered, you can wash or shower after 24 hours. Do not soak the wound in water and make sure it is dry afterwards (gently pat the area dry with a clean towel).
This is because your wound should not be soaked in water until it's healed. It could cause the skin to soften and reopen the wound. Guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say you can have a shower 48 hours after surgery.
If your wound does have a dressing then you can still bathe or shower. Dressings can absorb water and may require changing shortly after you shower so for this reason shower on the day the dressing is due to be changed. Showering is preferable to bathing, so that the wound does not 'soak' in water.
Remove the dressing before your shower. After your shower, pat the incision site dry with a clean towel. Put on a new dressing.
After 24 hours you may shower normally with the bandage still on. After you are finished showering, remove the wet bandage.
The original dressing can be left in place for up to two days (or as advised by the nurse/doctor), as long as it is not oozing. The wound must be kept dry for two days. If the dressing becomes wet from blood or any other liquid, it must be changed. do not apply antiseptic cream under the dressing.
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.
You should keep a wound moist and covered for about five days.
Clean the area each day
Remove the bandage or dressing at least once a day to cleanse the wound. Once the wound has been irrigated and cleaned, apply a new bandage. In more complicated wounds, like pressure sores, you may have to wash out the wound two to three times a day to help prevent infection.
”Water and moisture cause the skin to swell. This not only affects wound closure and the healing process, but can facilitate the entry of bacteria and increase the risk of a wound becoming infected. It is therefore important to protect the wound reliably from germs and water.
Clean area twice daily with soap and water, and apply a new bandage and ointment after cleaning. There is no need to use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol for cleaning. Continue this care until wound is fully healed. Deep or gaping wounds may need stitches or other wound care from a medical professional.
For anything larger than a paper cut, it's a good idea to let yourself heal first. “To protect yourself and others, if you have a larger cut, you should let it scab over before swimming,” says John Anderson, an internal medicine specialist with Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital.
How often should I change my dressing? Leave your dressing in place for as long as possible, or as long as your nurse recommends. Normally a dressing is changed between 1 and 3 times a week.
As such, it is recommended that wounds are only routinely cleansed at dressing changes if they: Show signs of infection; Present with slough (which increases the bacterial burden of the wound and makes it more vulnerable to infection);
Wound Care
We apply padded dressings to absorb this fluid. These dressings can be changed before you go home. You can remove the padded dressings two days after your surgery, but please leave your waterproof dressings on the skin for 10 days after surgery.
Soak the gauze or cloth in the saline solution or soapy water, and gently dab or wipe the skin with it. 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.