On what day are stitches removed? How long does it take for a suture to heal after abdominal surgery?

Some people who have undergone surgery do not have stitches that heal after surgery. Few people know what to do in this situation. Proper wound care depends on the location, size, and individual characteristics, but in general, wound care has general rules and recommendations.

In order for the stitch and wound to heal quickly, you must strictly adhere to the recommendations of doctors. At proper care postoperative sutures should heal within this approximate time frame.

Sutures after surgery are processed 2 times a day

Table. Normal healing time for sutures after surgery relative to location on the body

Localization of the wound	Healing time (days)
Face, head	3-4
Anterior surface of the neck
Back of the neck
Lateral surface of the chest and abdomen
Abdominal wounds along the midline
Back
Shoulder
Forearm
Brush
Hip
Shin
Foot

Treating seams with antiseptic solutions

Basic tips for fast healing of stitches after surgery:

• correct sterile treatment of a postoperative suture or wound;
• use only those solutions prescribed by the doctor to treat the seam;
• regular inspection and treatment of the seam several times a day.

Proper treatment of the wound allows the suture to heal much faster after surgery. These help with this antiseptics, such as iodine, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, chlorhexidine. It is also possible to use brilliant green or its substitute - fucorcin.

Important to remember! The sutures after surgery are processed 2 times a day. In some more complicated cases, perhaps more often. Procedures cannot be skipped. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling.
After each treatment, it is necessary to change the sterile dressing. This is done until the threads are removed.

You must be extremely careful when removing the bandage, as it often sticks to the wound. After this, pour a thin stream of hydrogen peroxide over the seam, then treat it with an antiseptic solution.

Note! Do not peel off crusts, growths, deposits and other layers formed on the seam. This suggests that the process of tissue fusion is proceeding in the right direction.

If they are removed, complications such as:

• inflammation;
• deepening of the seam, skin irregularities;
• seam rupture;
• fistula.

Ointments for healing sutures after surgery

Right after surgical intervention, the seam and wound are treated with ointments or gels, which do not allow inflammation to form, help to quickly cope with damage and begin healing.

Levomekol

Non-healing postoperative sutures, which make the process a little long, after removal of the threads, also continue to be treated with ointments until a scar begins to form.

The following effective ointments do an excellent job of their intended purpose:

Name	Compound	Operating principle	Mode of application	Price
Levomekol	methyluracil, chloramphenicol, excipients	promotes cell regeneration, has antimicrobial and bactericidal effect	Apply to a sterile bandage or napkins, applied to a non-healing suture after surgery	130 rub.
Vishnevsky ointment	Tar, aerosil, xeroform, castor oil	Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, Local irritant that accelerates cell regeneration	Apply to the surface of the seam or to a sterile dressing	40 rub.
Solcoseryl	deproteinized dialysate from the blood of healthy dairy calves, cetyl alcohol, cholesterol, white petrolatum, water for injection	Has a regenerating, wound-healing effect. Increases collagen production	Apply a thin layer to the surface of the wound, after rinsing it. Possible use of bandages	250 rub.
Contractubex	Onion extract, heparin, allantoin, sorbic acid, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, xanthan, polyethylene glycol, purified water	Anti-inflammatory, regenerating, antithrombic agent	Rub the suture into the scar tissue 2-3 times a day	700 rub.

If the suture does not heal after surgery, not only experienced doctor, but also instructions for use of the drug prescribed by the doctor.

The use of healing ointments lasts until the wound and stitch are completely healed and the scar begins to lighten.

Plaster for healing postoperative sutures

Modern medicine does not stand still for the speedy safe healing of sutures after operations Plasters based on medical silicone are increasingly being used.

Plasters made of such material are pressed more tightly to the surface of the skin and scars, which allows hardened tissues to dissolve faster. Compacted silicone allows air to pass through perfectly, which is important for the healing of postoperative sutures. This makes it very useful in complex wound treatment. At the same time, it does not allow water and other moisture to pass through.

Interesting fact! Silicone gel patch is a non-surgical method for tightening post-operative sutures, making it one of the most popular and affordable means of rapid skin healing.

It is very light, convenient, practical and comfortable.

The principle of operation of the silicone patch is as follows:

• causes softening of scar tissue, reducing its density, due to moisture retention in the skin;
• compression tension occurs and the scar is smoothed using the sticky base of the patch;
• improving the structure of the skin, increasing its elasticity, preventing scarring and hardening of the skin.

Before using a patch based on medical silicone gel, remove the protective film from the sticky side.

The seam, scar or scar must first be washed with soap, then the patch must be tightly applied and smoothed out.

If there is hair in this area, it must be shaved to ensure closer contact between the skin and the patch. When first used, the patch is applied for no more than 2 hours.

Folk remedies for healing postoperative sutures

Besides medications, doctors often prescribe treatment with folk remedies and methods.

In complex treatment, such procedures for caring for postoperative non-healing sutures work wonders. Behind a short time, if you do everything strictly according to the surgeons’ recommendations, the wounds begin to heal.

If the suture does not heal after surgery, you need to consult a doctor to find out what to do.

Among those used folk remedies, the most popular are:

• tea tree oil;
• Calendula extract is considered one of the most effective means if the suture does not heal after surgery. The instructions for the cream will tell you how and what to do;
• Blackberry syrup with echinacea is also great for wounds after surgery.

Tea tree oil

Real high-quality tea tree oil has powerful bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, analgesic and wound-healing properties.

It is used in the following ways:

• in its pure form, applied to a seam or wound using a sterile napkin, cotton swab or swab;
• dissolve 3-5 drops in a glass of clean warm water, dip in a gauze pad and apply as a compress to the damaged area of ​​skin.

Natural high-quality oil smells of refreshing spicy wood. If it has a different foreign smell, then it is a fake.

Tincture of calendula

Cream with calendula extract

A natural cream based on calendula extract perfectly heals wounds and stitches after surgery, accelerates skin regeneration, disinfects, softens the skin (scars) and makes it elastic.

Cream with calendula extract is applied to the surface of a suture, wound or scar, and if there is no pain, massage. It can be used continuously if necessary.

Blackberry syrup with echinacea

This product is also antibacterial, disinfectant, soothing and wound healing. Due to its composition of natural ingredients, the syrup has no contraindications for both children over 2 years old and patients diabetes mellitus.

Take this remedy orally before meals, 1 tablespoon per day, or 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.

Seam care in special cases

There are special cases when sutures do not heal as expected. They need careful care. They are not particularly different from the treatment behind conventional postoperative sutures, but still require a little more attention.

Dry scar care

When a postoperative suture begins to form a dry scar, it should never be removed. The dry skin will fall off on its own, or with the help of medicinal and folk remedies. In the shower or bath, you should try not to get the scar wet to avoid damage by bacteria and inflammation. Systematically treat the scar with aseptic means, smear it with creams or gels.

What to do if the seam gets wet

If the seam begins to get wet, it means that inflammation has formed in it. To prevent its development and speed up the recovery process, as well as healing, it is necessary to constantly treat the surface of the seam with aseptic, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory agents.

Apply anesthetic cream to the seam as necessary. After each procedure, apply a sterile bandage. When the seam more or less begins to heal, you can do air baths for no more than 5 minutes.

What to do if the seam festers

If the sutures become suppurated, you should urgently contact a surgeon. He will examine the seam, cut it at the place of suppuration or, if there are threads, unravel them. Next, he will wash the wound, treat it with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory solutions and apply a sterile bandage lubricated with wound healing cream.

After this, the seam must be carefully monitored and cared for., otherwise the healing process will take a long time.

Long-term non-healing postoperative sutures cause many people to worry about their health. No need to worry. It is enough to be more careful, properly handle and care for the seam, and do everything according to the doctor’s recommendations. After a short time, the seam will heal and stop bothering you.

Take care of yourself and be healthy!

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A well-sutured wound is the key to its good healing. After any operation, the wound is closed with sutures. For this purpose, special medical suture material is used. Each layer of the wound is stitched with a separate row of stitches. The operation is completed by suturing the skin. As a rule, this is done using threads. After the wound has healed, the skin sutures must be removed.

On what day are stitches removed?

The time frame for removing sutures varies from several days to 2-3 weeks. This depends on several factors:

• Localization of the wound. If the wound is located on the abdomen (for example after caesarean section or appendicitis) terms are 5-8 days, on the hand and fingers 10-12 days, with localization in the joint area– up to 2 weeks.
• Condition of skin and tissues. If the edges of the wound are severely injured and poorly adapted to each other, there is no need to rush to remove the sutures, the time frame is 2 weeks.
• Depth of the wound. If the wound is superficial, the time frame is shorter.
• Method of wound suturing. Some surgeons use an intradermal suture, which does not require removal at all.

Does it hurt when removing stitches?

Of course, each person has a different pain threshold, plus different parts of the body have different sensitivity. But we can definitely say that properly applied sutures allow them to be removed almost painlessly. No anesthesia is required.

The “golden rule” for removing sutures: they must be removed by the one who applied them. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.

Cosmetic seams: do they exist?

It is more correct to talk about a cosmetic incision. During the operation, surgeons use an incision along the natural folds of the body, and after the operation they close the wound with an intradermal suture. In this case, the scar “hides” in a natural fold and becomes less noticeable. If the wound was caused by accident or the surgical approach was outside the natural folds, the scar will still be noticeable. When using intradermal sutures, there will be no characteristic points on the sides of the wound, but the scar will still remain.

Can I remove the stitches myself?

It is strictly forbidden to remove stitches yourself! Any intervention in the wound should only be carried out by a doctor (not even a nurse). Otherwise, if complications arise (suppuration, fistula), you will only have yourself to blame.

Where can stitches be removed for a fee?

Now in any commercial medical center, where there are appropriate doctors, they will remove the stitches without any problems. This procedure in Smolensk it costs between 200-300 rubles. The most important thing is that this should be done by a doctor of the same specialty who performed the operation. The surgeon should not remove sutures after gynecological or trauma surgery, and vice versa.

Features of suture removal after various operations.

Many of us have experienced surgery. These are most often abdominal operations. Many women are familiar with the operation of caesarean section.

There are two options for sutures after Caesarean:

• Horizontal. Most often, a horizontal cosmetic suture is used. It is performed using self-absorbing threads. There is no need to remove the stitches. The threads dissolve completely after 2-3 months. The seams are treated as usual, using an antiseptic.
• Vertical. This incision is rarely used, in this case the suture is vertical. It starts at the navel and ends at the pubic area. This seam is sutured using the interrupted method. Each stitch is tied with a knot. Such suture materials are removed 5-10 days after the intervention. The doctor cuts the stitches and uses tweezers to remove the threads.

How are sutures removed after surgery or Caesarean section?

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive operation during which the doctor makes three small incisions to insert probes and tubes. The size of the incisions does not exceed 1.5 cm.

Features of suture removal after laparoscopy:

• Most often, doctors use threads that dissolve as suture material. This results in a neat cosmetic seam.
• In some cases, 1-2 sutures are applied using regular threads.
• The suture material is removed 5 days after surgery.

How are sutures removed from the perineum after childbirth?

Many women have experienced an operation such as an episiotomy. This is an incision of the perineum during childbirth. This operation allows you to increase the diameter of the hole and quickly remove the newborn. The inside is always sutures made of self-absorbing material.

Features of suture removal after episiotomy:

• Such sutures are removed 5-10 days after the intervention.
• The doctor cuts one stitch at a time and quickly pulls out the suture material with tweezers.
• After removing the seams, this area is treated with brilliant green or an antiseptic.
• The internal sutures are not removed; they completely dissolve after three months.

The technique for removing stitches in front of the eyes is completely different from stitches on the body. The fact is that the mucous membrane is very sensitive. After surgery for astigmatism, the sutures are removed no earlier than after 3 months.

Features of suture removal after eye surgery:

• The sutures are removed directly from the eyeball no earlier than after 3 months.
• It all depends on the patient’s well-being. You can definitely say about the advisability of removing sutures after examination by an ophthalmologist.
• Ideally, sutures are removed from 3 to 12 months after the intervention. Further, the threads dissolve on their own, but can cause a lot of inconvenience.
• If the threads break, irritation and tearing may occur.

After lacerations or cuts, cosmetic surgical sutures are often applied. How carefully you remove the stitches will determine how the scar will look.

The procedure for removing sutures after surgery:

• First, remove the bandage; do not tear off the patch or gauze that has dried. Pour peroxide over the dressing and wait until everything gets wet. Carefully remove the bandages.
• Now, using tweezers, gently pull the thread, when the suture material is taut, insert the nail scissors and cut the thread.
• Now use tweezers to carefully remove the threads. Hold the skin with a napkin so that it does not stretch. Otherwise, the seam may come apart.

Quite soft on the lips and thin skin. In this area, neat cosmetic sutures are applied. It is worth noting that such sutures are not made with self-absorbing threads, as they can tighten the skin.

Features of removing sutures from the lip:

• There is a mucous membrane in the lip area. Sutures are removed on the 8th day after their application.
• To begin with, the wound is treated with an antiseptic. After this, the seams are cut and the threads are carefully removed.
• It is necessary to hold the skin to prevent it from stretching and the seams from coming apart.
• After the manipulation, the scar is processed. By the time the stitches are removed, the swelling should disappear.

Stitches are also often placed on the fingers. In these places the seams are very small, since the finger area is small.

Features of removing sutures on fingers:

• First, remove the bandage. After this, the wound is disinfected.
• After this, it is worth sterilizing all instruments. Using tweezers, pull the end of the thread towards you.
• Run the scissors through the loop and cut it. When using tweezers, carefully remove the suture material.
• Treat the scar with brilliant green.

The stitches on the leg should be removed a little later. Usually this is 9-12 days after the intervention. In these places, the skin slowly regenerates and grows together. In addition, the timing of removal of suture materials depends on how well everything is with the wound. If it is clean, the suture material is removed faster.

Features of removing stitches from the leg:

• Most often, the wound is stitched using silk or synthetics. Such threads are strong and ensure rapid healing of the wound edges. They are very easy to remove.
• You need to pull the edge of the thread, and when you see a loop and a knot, cut the thread.
• Gently pull the thread with tweezers, holding the skin. If the wound is large, the stitches are removed in two steps with an interval of several days. Stitches are removed one at a time.
• Often staples or wires are used instead of threads. It is better to remove them at the clinic. This is due to the rigidity of the material and the possibility of repeated damage to the epidermis.

Time frame for suture removal:

• 12 days - for amputation
• after 6 days - during surgery in the area of ​​the skull and head
• after 7 days - after shallow intervention in the peritoneum and 9-12 - after deep surgery
• 10-14 days – for breast surgery
• 14 days - for surgical intervention of elderly people, patients with weak immunity and cancer patients
• 7-10 days - after cesarean section

For more information on how to remove suture material yourself, watch the video.

VIDEO: Removing stitches yourself

In any case, it is best to go to the clinic to remove the stitches. Everything's there necessary tools and experienced staff.

VIDEO: Suture removal technique

If desired, the surgical suture can be removed independently. However, to do this you must have certain knowledge and do everything with caution. Therefore, it is best to seek help from specialists, since removing stitches at home is dangerous. If you handle the instrument carelessly, there is a risk of tissue damage, and there is also a high probability of infection. If it is not possible to see a doctor, then it is worth knowing how to properly remove the threads and how to treat the seam.

How long does it take for stitches to be removed?

Do not forget that the fastening of tissues has a certain period. It all depends on where the seam was placed. There are three deadlines:

1. The average is from 7 to 9 days.
2. If the stitch is on the neck or head - from 6 to 7 days.
3. If the operation was on the chest, foot or lower leg - from 10 to 14 days.

Things to consider

In addition, there are other factors to consider. For example, age, nature of the wound, immunity, generative abilities of the body, and so on. Since not everyone can remove stitches at home, you should know all the intricacies of the process. Otherwise, harm may occur. For example, older people must walk with stitches for 2 weeks. The same period is required in the case of seriously ill patients whose body is weakened and is not able to recover quickly. That is why it is worth consulting with specialists before removing stitches.

The threads should be removed only after the edges of the wound have healed. Otherwise, the tissues may separate again. If the inflammatory process has begun, then it is necessary to show the wound to a doctor. In addition, it is not recommended to remove sutures placed after abdominal surgery. Self-removal of threads is allowed only for small wounds.

What you need to remove stitches

How to remove stitches at home? Before you begin such an activity, you should prepare all the necessary tools. For such manipulations you will need:

1. Tweezers.
2. Manicure or surgical sharp scissors.
3. Bandages, gauze wipes, plaster.
4. Antibiotic ointment, medical alcohol, iodine.
5. Boiling water and container for liquid.

Stitch removal process

So, how to remove stitches at home? First, it is recommended to sterilize the instrument. To do this, you need to boil everything and then treat it with alcohol. If you don't do this, you can get an infection. Experts also recommend pouring alcohol over the entire instrument and leaving it for half an hour.

Does it hurt to remove stitches? As a rule, a person experiences a slight feeling of discomfort. Painful sensations can only occur if the threads begin to grow into the tissue. In this case, the doctor must remove the suture.

After careful preparation You can start removing the threads. All manipulations should be carried out with extreme caution so as not to cause harm. It is recommended to treat the area where the seam is located with iodine on all sides. After this, you need to lift the thread above the skin so that its clean end is visible. This can be done using tweezers. Now you need to cut the light edge. There should be no dirty thread left at the end of the cut located close to the skin. This can cause infection in the tissue.

When the thread is cut, it should be carefully pulled out by grasping the other edge with tweezers. In this case, you need to act carefully. Do not allow dirty thread to pass through the fabric. Now you know how to remove surgical sutures at home. After such manipulations, it is necessary to carefully treat the wound. To do this, it is recommended to use an ointment that has an antibacterial effect. Finally, the place where the suture was placed should be covered with a sterile bandage.

The timing of suture removal varies widely depending on the location and dynamics of wound healing. As a rule, interrupted sutures from linear wounds are removed using the “halving” method on the 5th, 7th and 9th days. When removing sutures from a wound of complex configuration, they are removed from the tops of the flaps first (5th day), every second suture - on the 7th day, and the remaining sutures - on the 9th day.

To improve the healing of the wound edges and facilitate the removal of sutures, the nodes should be shifted to one side of the wound line.

Surgical tweezers and pointed scissors should be used to remove sutures. The use of a scalpel blade for this purpose is unacceptable.

Technique for removing interrupted sutures

1. After pre-treatment of the edges of the wound (suture area) with an antiseptic solution, the knot is fixed with surgical tweezers.
2. The seam is pulled up by 2-3 mm so that the part of the thread that was under the skin appears. At the same time, its characteristic whitish coloring is visible.
3. Using pointed scissors, cross the thread in the area of ​​characteristic staining under the knot.
4. The thread is removed and placed on a napkin or gauze ball.

1. To make this action as non-traumatic as possible, the surgeon’s hands must be supported.

2. After crossing the thread with the slightly open tips of the scissors, you can hold the skin while pulling the thread.

Removal of adapting interrupted sutures

1. Using tweezers, pull up that part of the thread that is on the surface of the skin on the side opposite to the knot.
2. The part of the thread that passes intradermally is crossed at the surface of the skin.
3. Cut the thread passing through the subcutaneous fatty tissue.
4. Having grabbed the knot, the threads are pulled out.

Use a gauze ball to hold or even slightly pull the skin along the suture line in the direction opposite to the movement of the thread.

When removing continuous double-row sutures over 10 cm in length, pull up and cut both threads under one of the knots. While pulling up the remaining knot, separately grab the subcutaneous thread, pull it out and cross it directly at the knot. The remaining intradermal thread is pulled out further late dates, holding the skin with a gauze ball and gently pulling it with your hand in the opposite direction.

Finally, the skin scar is treated with an antiseptic.

G.M. Semenov, V.L. Petrishin, M.V. Kovshova