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.
Your doctor will tell you when it's safe to get the cut wet. If your doctor told you how to care for your cut, follow your doctor's instructions. If you did not get instructions, follow this general advice: After the first 24 to 48 hours, wash around the cut with clean water 2 times a day.
A traditional concept regarding surgical wounds and bathing is that the water touching the wound will increase the rate of wound infection. However, published research demonstrates no increase in the overall rate of wound infections or complications when patients showered as early as 24-48 hours after surgery.
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.
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.
Air dries out the wound and promotes cell death, not healing. Covering the wound maintains the natural moisture that helps keep cells alive. An exposed cut will pick up dirt and debris from the air. A wound that heals in a moist environment is less likely to leave a scar.
Sutures or staples.
Once you no longer need to keep these dry, clean the incision or wound daily. First remove the bandage using clean hands. Then wash the area gently with soap and warm water. Use a wet cotton swab to loosen and remove any blood or crust that forms.
The first day: Keep your wound area dry for the first 24 hours after the doctor sewed in the stitches. You'll lower your risk of infection. Follow your doctor's instructions on when you can start cleaning the area and how to do it.
Scar formation in the first few weeks of wound-healing tends to be over exuberant. With the massaging you are trying to break down the early scar and allow the wound to settle sooner. By 6 weeks scars have matured significantly and may require additional intervention if you haven't massaged firmly enough!
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.
Signs it's working: During this stage of healing, you may experience swelling, redness or pain while your wound heals. Your skin may also feel hot to the touch, and you may see a clear liquid around your wound. These are all signs that the inflammatory stage of wound healing is well underway.
-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. We prefer Vaseline or Aquaphor to antibiotic ointment due to the increase in allergic reactions to antibiotic ointments such as Neosporin.
In general, the greater the tension across a wound, the longer the sutures should remain in place. As a guide, on the face, sutures should be removed in 5-7 days; on the neck, 7 days; on the scalp, 10 days; on the trunk and upper extremities, 10-14 days; and on the lower extremities, 14-21 days.
The four phases of wound healing. The complicated mechanism of wound healing occurs in four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling.
Antibiotic ointment – such as Polysporin or Bacitracin. PLEASE DO NOT USE NEOSPORIN this contains neomycin which may cause an allergic reaction even if they have used it before without any problems. Non-stick pads – such as telfa, paper tape or any non irritating band aide that will fit over the incision site.
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.
Avoid removing the medical tape. After the sutures are removed, your physician may apply thin strips of medical tape to the wound. These pieces will naturally peel and fall off. Avoid yanking them off.
It's important not to scratch your stitches; even though they're strong, scratching may damage them. You should avoid contact sports, such as football or hockey, to give your wound the best possible chance to heal.
And — just to be clear — yes, this means waiting two days before you shower. After those first 48 hours, though, it's totally fine to get your stitches briefly wet via the light spray of a shower.
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.
Keep your incision clean and dry. Don't put creams or ointments on it unless directed by your healthcare team. Don't do things that could cause dirt or sweat to get on your incision.
Keep the wound dry
Pat the wound dry immediately after it gets wet. Do not soak the wound or swim until the sutures have been removed. Only use creams or ointments (emollients) recommended by your doctor. If you sutures are also dressed with bandages, follow the care instructions given by your doctor.
cover your stitches when you have a shower, with a waterproof dressing – you may be able to use a rubber glove or plastic bag if they will cover your wound.
When do I take off the bandage? Your doctor will give you exact instructions on when and how to change it. Most wounds don't need one after a few days, but if you keep the area covered, it may help protect the cut from injury and it may heal faster. If you do keep a bandage on, change it every day.
Daily Shower and Bandaging
After the shower, keep the wound covered with a clean dry bandage as described in the “What Kind of Bandage Do We Need for Wounds?” section.