Is it possible to remove the stitches from the wound yourself? How to remove surgical stitches at home

Any operation (surgical intervention) is stressful for the patient’s body. Even if an operation is vitally necessary, the doctor’s main task is not only to perform it correctly, but also to prepare the patient for subsequent recovery.

The most common way to connect all kinds of biological tissues (this can be both the edges of a wound and, for example, the walls of organs), reduce bleeding, bile leakage, etc. is by the surgeon applying sutures.

There are different types of suture materials - there are absorbable sutures, which are made from threads that do not require removal as the body regenerates. Metal braces or synthetic threads are often used, which can be removed without visiting medical center problematic.

What are they needed for? They not only help the body cope with the intervention, reduce the risk of bleeding and “opening” of the wound (which can easily become infected), but also have an aesthetic function - modern suture materials reduce the length of the wound, and, accordingly, the size of the scar.

Why is it important to remove stitches on time?

It is important to remember that the sutures not only need to be applied correctly, but also removed in time, since otherwise inflammation may begin (after all, the fixing material is foreign to the body, and the human body has a negative attitude towards such “implants”). It is not recommended to remove suture material at home - there is a high risk of infection and putting your life at risk.

What determines the period for their withdrawal?

The timing of suture removal depends on many factors:

the presence of local complications of the surgical wound
regenerative features of the body
the patient's condition
his age
anatomical region and its trophism
the nature of the surgical intervention
features of the disease.

How long after surgery are sutures usually removed?

The time for suture removal is individual and determined only by your attending physician. The average time frame that specialists are advised to focus on directly depends on the type of surgical intervention (what kind of operation was performed) and the patient’s condition (it is quite natural that the patient’s body, weakened, for example, by cancer, as mentioned earlier, will recover worse, this will require additional time for tissue scarring).

As a rule, sutures are removed after surgery:

during head surgery - after 6 days
after a small opening of the abdominal wall (this could be an appendectomy or, say, hernia repair) - after 7 days
after operations that require a wide opening of the abdominal wall (for example, laparotomy or transection) - the sutures are removed on days 9-12
surgical interventions on the chest (thoracotomy) allow stitches to be removed only on the 10-14th day
When performing amputations, the sutures are removed on average after 12 days
after surgical interventions in the elderly, weakened by infections and diseases, cancer patients (due to a decrease in the body’s ability to regenerate) - the procedure is carried out at least 2 weeks later.

How does the deletion work?

Sutures that have been placed on the skin and mucous membranes are easy to remove, so their removal is most often entrusted to an experienced nurse. In other cases, the work is carried out by a surgeon, however, almost all medical specialists can remove the sutures.

The sutures are removed using small surgical scissors and tweezers. The nurse uses tweezers to grab one of the ends of the knot that the doctor made when suturing the wound, and “pulls” it in the direction opposite to the direction of suturing. In the area of the white segment (appears during tissue healing), the thread is crossed with scissors. At the end of the procedure, the removed threads are disposed of. In order to prevent the occurrence of infection and accelerate the regeneration of the integument, the site of the postoperative scar is treated with a weak solution of iodonate, after which a fixing bandage is applied.

The day on which sutures are removed after surgery is determined by their type. Stitching the incision is the most common and effective way to restore integrity skin after operation. There are immersing fixed and removable postoperative sutures. The main qualities that the material used for stitching cuts must have are reliability and strength. The more reliable the knot is made, the lower the risk of complications. Seams should be made as small as possible. If you use a large amount of thread, it may be rejected by the body. The knot should be small. Since the body is not able to distinguish suture material from a foreign body, in the presence of bulky ligatures, a violent response occurs.

Types of seams and their properties

They are distinguished by the timing of application. The primary suture is applied immediately after the operation. Delayed can be used either a few hours or a week after making the incision. Provisional - a type of deferred, which must be applied no later than after 3 days. An early secondary suture is used if it is necessary to stitch the incision 14 days after surgery or a week after applying the primary one. Late secondary is used at the stage of scar formation.

Fixed immersion is a method of applying suture material in which it is completely absorbed. The material used in such cases is called catgut, it is made from sheep intestines. It is not durable, but is rarely rejected by the body. Removable ligatures are considered more reliable.

The time for their removal depends on the material from which the threads were made. Typically, sutures are removed after tissue scarring begins. To apply removable ligatures, silk, linen, nylon or nylon threads, metal staples and wire can be used.

The nature of the postoperative period is determined by the correct suturing of the incision. Blood supply to tissues and the absence of postoperative complications depend on this. It is recommended to remove sutures no earlier than 10 days after their application. The healing process can be influenced by a large number of factors that increase or decrease this period.

On what day should stitches be removed?

If surgery was performed in the face and neck area, suture removal may occur after 5-6 days. In places with poor blood circulation, they are left for up to 12 days. If an infection occurs, the affected areas of the wound are freed from ligatures the next day, the healing process will occur openly. The remaining threads are removed after about a week. The scarring process may be affected individual characteristics body. Each person's skin incisions take a certain number of days to heal. This process is especially slow in old age. For people over 50 years of age, the postoperative suture will be removed after at least 14 days. The same applies to patients with weakened immune systems and chronic diseases. In this case, the body’s resources are not enough to quickly heal the wound.

The duration of wearing ligatures is also affected by the complexity of the surgical intervention. Incisions after abdominal surgery in patients with normal fat thickness heal quickly. How are stitches removed? Before removing the threads, the scar is treated. After this, the surgeon pulls the nodule up and cuts it at the base. After surgical sutures long lengths are freed from ligatures in 2-4 stages, taking breaks of several days. The procedure ends with treating the scar with an antiseptic solution and applying a sterile bandage.

The timing of suture removal also depends on the type of surgery. After a caesarean section, the threads are removed after 10 days, after amputation of a limb - after 12, after surgery on the abdominal organs - after 7. After removing the sclera of the eye, the suture material is removed on the 7th day, for operations on the chest organs - on the 14th. When removing a hernia and appendix, the procedure is performed after a week. After complex surgery, the threads are removed only after 12 days. The doctor must be able to determine the optimal time for wearing ligatures. If the edges of the wound have grown together, they can be removed.

If this moment is missed, the risk of complications begins to increase every day. Removing the sutures will become problematic; they will grow firmly into the tissue. They will leave pronounced traces. The healing time is also influenced by the anatomical features of the body. Sutures on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes are removed quite simply. This work can be done by an experienced nurse. If complications occur, the procedure should only be performed by a surgeon. After childbirth, stitched wounds heal in 2-3 weeks. The rehabilitation period in this case will last more than a month. Scars must be carefully treated; the risk of infection is quite high. Bacteria can penetrate the internal genital organs, leading to infection.

After a caesarean section, the threads are removed after 7 days. The wound is treated with antiseptic solutions and covered with a sterile bandage. The incision is freed from ligatures in one stage; when using absorbable materials, this moment is skipped.

However, treatment with antibacterial agents is also required in this case.

Complete resorption of the suture material is observed after 60-90 days. The tissue begins to scar 7 days after a cesarean section, so standard hygiene procedures can be started at this time. Do not rub the incision site with a washcloth or use scented products.

After suturing in the oral cavity, the threads are removed after 7-10 days. Dentists rarely suture incisions, preferring to stabilize the edges. Special scissors are used to remove the threads, and the wound is treated with peroxide after the procedure. In ophthalmology, curved, sharp instruments are also used, which must always be kept in a disinfectant solution. Before performing the procedure, drops are instilled into the eyes, and at least 5 days must pass after the operation.

Can I remove stitches myself?

It is not recommended to get rid of removable ligatures at home. This increases the risk of infection and lumps. If the timing of thread removal is incorrectly determined, the edges of the incision may diverge. It happens that a patient cannot visit a medical facility. If healing is normal, it is easy to remove the threads. You just need to follow the rules of asepsis and safety. You should not get rid of ligatures on your face and hard to reach places.

The procedure for removing sutures will be as follows. The bandage must be removed and the skin treated with an antiseptic. There should be a sterile bandage at hand, and tweezers and scissors, previously disinfected, in your hands. The knot is pulled up with tweezers, its base is cut, and the thread is carefully pulled out. These steps must be completed before complete liberation wounds from ligatures. The procedure is completed by applying a sterile dressing, which will then need to be replaced every day.

The article will tell you about what happens in the body after surgery, why stitches are needed and how soon they need to be removed.

On what day are the sutures removed and does it hurt after a Caesarean section, childbirth, episiotomy of the perineum, or on the cervix?

Any surgical intervention leaves behind a mark - an incision, sutured with special threads or fastened with staples. The speed and ease of healing of any scar depends on how complex and deep the problem was.

The most common operation in the world is “Caesarean section”, which in most cases is simply a necessity (difficult position of the child in the womb, entanglement of the umbilical cord, narrow pelvic bones of the mother). This intervention is characterized by a strip incision in the lower abdomen (horizontal or vertical).

The suture is placed on the incision after a cesarean section in the maternity ward. The surgeon applies the sutures under general anesthesia, and during the entire stay in the maternity hospital, the nurse constantly treats the suture with antiseptic agents, changing the bandage.

If the suture is made with catgut threads, there is no need to remove it, since the thread dissolves over time (it is made of natural material and completely dissolves from 60 to 80 days without any residue). If the seam is made with silk threads and staples, they can be withdrawn in 5 or 7 days, depending on the complexity of the healing process.

After a cesarean section, a scar is formed, which begins to form around the 7th day. You should not wet the seam with water for the first week, and therefore you can take a shower only after 7 days. It is worth knowing that this intervention is very painful, because as a result of the operation, all layers of the abdominal wall are damaged.

In the case of natural childbirth, the situation is a little simpler. However, it should be noted that for each woman, childbirth can occur differently: difficult or easy. It all depends on the physiological structure of the woman, her experience, the number of births, health status, ability to push and the correct behavior of the medical team during childbirth.

Episiotomy- This is an incision that is made to a woman in the perineal area (in the vagina) in order to facilitate the process of childbirth. As a rule, this incision is made after the administration of a local anesthetic, if the birth is “quick” there is no time for this.

Stitches are usually removed after childbirth for 4-5 days, if the tissues heal well and there are no complications. In some cases, the process may take some time. 7-10 days maximum. In the case when a woman cannot give birth, relax, or during accelerated or induced labor the cervix does not open, the process of its rupture is irreversible. Then the sutures are applied to her in the same way, their healing lasts up to 7-10 days.

Removal of sutures after cesarean section and natural birth

On what day are the sutures removed and does it hurt after surgery for appendicitis, hernia, laparoscopy?

A disease such as appendicitis occurs quite often in all segments of the population: children, adults, men and women. The disease can only be treated with surgical intervention. At its core, appendicitis is an inflammatory process that occurs in the “cecum,” or rather in its appendix, the functions and purpose of which have not yet been fully studied by medicine.

Anything can provoke an inflammatory process:

Mechanical bruise
Infection in the body
Poor circulation in the body
Endocrine system disorders
Digestive tract dysfunction

IMPORTANT: Statistics show that women suffer more from appendicitis than men. The disease most often worsens between the ages of 20 and 40 years.

Emergency appendectomy will help completely eliminate the problem. As a rule, this intervention does not entail serious consequences or danger. If appendicitis is excised immediately after an exacerbation, recovery and improvement in the patient’s condition will follow the very next day.

The incision to remove the appendix is made in the lower right abdomen. After excision of the skin, a scar remains that requires proper care. The length of the scar, on average, is 3-4 cm. To make the incision look neat and heal easily, the doctor requires responsibility, professionalism, and experience.

If there were no complications after the operation (fever, infection, germs getting into the wound) and the scar is healing well, the doctor is allowed to remove the sutures after 10-14 days. If the doctor places sutures from catgut threads, then their resorption occurs within 2-3 months. Over a period of 10-14 days, the tissue will recover. But it is important to know that even after the sutures are removed, the patient needs to be on a gentle and sedentary regimen for about 6 weeks.

Another surgical intervention that can be performed in the abdominal area is “cutting out” the hernia. A “hernia” is a disease manifested by the protrusion of internal organs (intestines) from the cavity in which they were intended to be. This can happen for several reasons, but treatment always involves surgery, which results in plastic surgery. Excessive protrusion is reduced surgically.

In the case of a “light” operation and sutures made from silk threads or staples, they are removed after a week. The suture removal procedure itself occurs quite quickly within a few minutes. It is worth noting that this is quite unpleasant. The bandage, which is usually worn after surgery and should not be removed during the rehabilitation period after the stitches are removed, is worn until tone is achieved. muscle mass body in the area of surgery. In addition, the bandage will hold the scar itself so that it cannot come apart after the sutures are removed.

Laparoscopy is a minimal surgical intervention that is necessary in order to correct health problems and cause minimal damage to the body. Laparoscopy is performed by introducing special needles ( surgical instruments). However, this intervention also requires sutures for speedy healing.

As a rule, the scars remain quite small. Sutures can be sutured after laparoscopy using catgut or silk threads. The latter can be removed in a week. But everything depends only on the individual characteristics of the person and the course of his disease. Only the surgeon himself can say exactly how soon the suture can be removed.

IMPORTANT: Any scar produced as a result of surgery, strip or as a result of laporoscopy requires appropriate care: treatment with antiseptic agents, keeping the body calm, following a diet and careful supervision of the attending physician or nurse.

Laparoscopy: surgery

On what day are the sutures removed and does the gum hurt after tooth extraction or implantation?

A tooth can be removed only when it is destroyed, there are inflammatory and putrefactive processes in it, it hurts due to an inflamed nerve, and it poses a threat to neighboring teeth. Only a dentist with a surgical license can extract a tooth. Tooth extraction can occur in both public and private clinics.

It is worth noting that most often people pull out “wise” teeth because they bring them discomfort and pain. Pulling out the upper teeth is a little easier than the lower ones, but, nevertheless, such an intervention requires a number of important measures.

Tooth extraction occurs under anesthesia. During the process of pulling out a tooth, a person can only feel pressure, pulling sensations and a cracking sound (if the doctor breaks a “complex” tooth into two parts to pull it out). Painful sensations after tooth extraction come only when the effect of the painkiller wears off. But a good and attentive doctor will always prescribe his patient to take additional medications that improve well-being and dull pain.

If the lower teeth (and especially the wise ones) are pulled out, there is a possibility that bacteria will frequently enter the wound, and therefore (to avoid infection) the doctor will apply sutures. This way, the gums heal and grow together faster, do not bleed heavily and do not cause discomfort to the person.

After removing a tooth, the doctor must clean the wound from excess torn pieces of gum, check for the presence of residual tooth fragments, blunt the bleeding with a tampon and carefully stitch it up. After 2-3 days, the patient comes to the doctor in order to exclude the presence of an inflammatory process. Stitches can be removed after 6-7 days. By this time, the gums have healed and grown together.

Removing such stitches is almost painless. The patient only feels the moment of cutting the thread and the sensation of an elongated thread (fishing line) from the gums. It doesn’t hurt because the thread itself is very thin, and the gums are not the most sensitive part of the body.

Gum stitching

On what day are the stitches removed and does the wound on the arm, leg, or face hurt?

The removal of any surgical sutures depends only on how difficult the surgery itself was and how hard the patient endured the entire operation. The pain of the intervention site depends on how deep the incision was and what type of operation was performed.

Why stitches? This is a necessity. Surgery is stressful for the body and organism. The surgeon helps you survive this stress, cope with the consequences of the intervention and help you recover as quickly as possible. Sutures are placed at the incision site to prevent infection from entering the wound, leading to inflammation or bacteria, and to protect against blood loss and death.

Healing of any incision on the arm, leg, face or other parts of the body usually occurs within the first 7-10 days. This is exactly how long it takes tissues to produce special “collagen” cells that build up connective tissue. It is worth noting that these temporary norms are very conditional because what younger man, the faster the healing process occurs. In an “old” body, the process of regeneration (production of new cells) is much slower than in young people and children.

IMPORTANT: Removing sutures is quite simple. A doctor or nurse, using medical scissors and tweezers, first cuts the stretched threads and then pulls them out by the ends. The process is unpleasant, but completely tolerable.

Healing of stitches on the body

On what day are sutures removed and does it hurt after rhinoplasty or blepharoplasty?

Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure that is necessary to remove a drooping eyelid by cutting out “excess” tissue. As a rule, sutures during such an operation are applied with special catgut threads, which tend to dissolve and be accepted by the body. This is done in order not to disturb the delicate skin once again, not to provoke its swelling and give pain (after all, the face is sensitive to the slightest touch).

When performing blepharoplasty, incisions and sutures are placed as close as possible to the line where the eyelashes grow. This gives the advantage of the seams being minimally noticeable. Large scars can be removed with a series of cosmetic procedures prescribed by the doctor. Under no circumstances should you touch the seams or process them yourself. This should only be done by medical professionals. Sutures are always removed in different ways, depending on the individual characteristics of each organism and age, as a rule, the minimum is 3 weeks and the maximum is 6.

Blepharoplasty

Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to correct the shape of the nose. After the operation, the doctor applies special gauze bandages soaked in antibiotics, as well as a “splint” - a rigid plaster cast, which in no case should be disturbed during the wound healing period.

Each rhinoplasty operation occurs differently and it all depends on the extent of the surgical intervention. As a rule, after 2-4 days the doctor can remove tampons and bandages soaked in antiseptic agents and 4-5 after the operation the stitches can be removed if everything goes well and healing is not long in coming. The wounds from the sutures resolve on their own in about 2-3 weeks. The cast can be removed 10-14 days after surgery.

Rhinoplasty

The day on which sutures are removed after surgery depends on the type of sutures used by the surgeon. This method is the most ancient and widespread type of joining the edges of cuts on the body. Among the varieties, the seams are removable and immersed.

The main characteristics of the materials and components used to complete the operation have always been strength and reliability. The more complex the knot is formed, the better. In this case, the seam should not be voluminous. The larger it is, the more likely a negative reaction of the stitched tissues to it. Complications may begin. The volume of the node should be small. This way, the body will not distinguish what kind of foreign body is in it and will not react violently.

Types of seams and their characteristics

Sutures are distinguished according to the timing of application. Delimit:

Primary, which the surgeon applies immediately after surgery.
Delayed primary can be applied either after a day or after a week.
Provisional is a type of delayed primary, but here the standard dictates the application time of up to 3 days.
Early secondary suture is used 2 weeks after surgery and a week after the primary suture.
Late secondary – up to a month or more after surgery at the stage of scar development.

Immersed seams are permanent. Over time, they dissolve on their own without any residue. The material from which they are made is the small intestines of sheep. This thread is called catgut. It is not very strong, but is well accepted by the body. Removable seams are much more secure. The moment when the sutures are removed after surgery depends on the quality of the thread material. This usually occurs after the incision has healed. Removable threads are made from:

Silk or linen. They are natural.
Nylon, nylon or mersilene are unnatural.
Staples and special wire – metal.

The successful outcome of the operation largely depends on the correct placement of sutures. This determines normal blood circulation and is responsible for the absence of cavities in the wound, the appearance of which is undesirable. The optimal period for removing sutures after stitching the wound is up to 10 days. The healing process is influenced by a number of factors:

Doctors remove the stitches from the operated areas of the face or neck, where there is good blood supply, for 4-5 days. And places where blood circulation is weak are usually left for up to 12 days. These are the feet or legs.
If the incision becomes infected, the sutures in these areas are removed next day after surgery, and the incision heals openly. The remaining areas are freed from threads after a week.
Some characteristics of the patient’s body also affect the process of suture removal. Everyone has their own time frame for wound healing. Tissue fusion in older people is particularly slow. They wear threads for up to 2 weeks. Patients with severe pathologies are also subject to medical reinsurance, since in a weakened state their body is not able to find the strength to heal wounds as quickly as possible.
The depth of the wound incision and the complexity of the operation affect the duration of wearing the threads. Incisions after abdominal manipulation, except in cases where there is a large amount of fatty tissue, heal normally.

When the time comes to remove the sutures, the scar site is treated. Then the surgeon pulls the knot upward little by little, and when the thread embedded in the tissue appears, it is cut off. Extended wounds that have already grown together are not completely freed from stitches, but are done gradually, with a break of several days. At the end of the procedure, the suture is re-treated with an antiseptic and a special bandage is applied.

Standards that doctors set many years ago

Depending on the organ on which the operation was performed, the period after which the sutures are removed varies:

Caesarean section – on the 10th day.
Amputation - on the 12th.
The incision of the abdominal wall is in 7ths.
After removing the sclera of the eyeball - a week later.
Peritoneal cavity - in a week.
Chest – in 2 weeks.
Face – in a week.
Head – on the 6th day.
Non-serious and short-term intervention (removal of hernia, appendicitis) - in a week.
Long-term intervention – at least 12 days.

The doctor needs to accurately determine the time when the stitches need to be removed. This comes with experience. If the edges have grown together well, the threads are removed. But if the surgeon misses this point, then the person operated on will have problems. The scar will begin to fester. Removing the threads will become difficult because they will grow firmly into the body. The mark from the seams in this version will be very obvious. Anatomical features the body also influence the timing of removal of suture threads, and it is not possible to say unequivocally that they are the same for everyone. Sutures on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes do not require much skill when removing. This work is entrusted to a responsible and experienced nurse. Otherwise, only the surgeon acts. But only a specialist determines the timing.

Features of suture removal after some surgical interventions

After childbirth, wounds with sutures heal within 14-20 days. Rehabilitation after injuries received during childbirth takes more than a month. The suture sites must be properly treated, otherwise there is a risk of infection. It penetrates the birth canal and leads to gynecological diseases. By caring for such sutures, you guarantee speedy healing of wounds.

After a caesarean section, the sutures are not removed for 7 days. They are treated with antiseptics and bandages are changed daily. After a week, the abdominal area is completely freed from postoperative sutures. When the incision was sutured with absorbable threads, antiseptic treatment was also not neglected during the healing process. In the end, there is no need to remove anything, since the seams dissolve on their own after 2-3 months.

A scar on the abdomen after a cesarean section forms within a week, so doctors allow you to shower after this period. Just try not to touch the splice area with a washcloth. This can be done after another 7 days.

Dental operations require getting rid of stitching threads for 8-10 days.

The doctor will determine this. Typically, dentists do not stitch, but rather stabilize the edges of the wound. The threads are removed using cotton scissors and peroxide and anesthesia are applied. In ophthalmology, sharp curved instruments are also used. They are removed from the jar of alcohol only for use. The rest of the time they are sterilized. Enjoy various shapes eye tweezers, apply drops. After the operation, at least 5 days must pass before the sutures are removed.

Is it possible to remove postoperative sutures yourself and how to do it correctly?

Doctors do not recommend removing removable sutures at home. You can get an infection and inflammation will begin. If the timing of removal is not determined accurately, the wound will open.

It happens that the patient cannot go to the doctors to remove the stitches. If you are sure that the stitch has healed, it is easy to remove it yourself. It is necessary to maintain safe working conditions and sterility. As for stitches on the face or in hard-to-reach places, you shouldn’t remove them yourself.

In other cases, remove the bandage from the seam and treat it with an antiseptic. Take tweezers and scissors, previously sterilized. A sterile bandage or cotton swab should also be at hand. Pull the end of the thread with tweezers and cut off the base with scissors, then pull it out. External pieces of thread should not get into the fabric. Proceeding in this way until the last thread leaves the scar, treat the manipulation area. Now you can apply a bandage; it needs to be changed daily.

It is important, before starting the procedure yourself, to make sure the nature of the sutures: they are interrupted or continuous. Knots can be nautical, surgical or simple. A long wound requires gradual removal of the suture through one knot or stitch. This is done intermittently over several days. The person having their stitches removed may experience some pain during the procedure. You can avoid it only by achieving accuracy, trying not to pull the threads.

To avoid leaving a scar at the site of tissue fusion after surgery, the patient must use specialized creams and ointments. The doctor will tell you about them. Typically, the use of such products lasts up to six months after the formation of a scar.

Try not to expose post-surgical scars to the sun, as the area will immediately darken and be very different from the color of the skin around the scar.

Sutures are placed either during surgery or when a serious injury occurs. The question of when and how to remove sutures correctly depends on many circumstances: on the nature of the damage, on the part of the body on which the sutures are applied, on the age of the patient and on how quickly the human body recovers.

The healing of the wound and the aesthetic appearance of this place depend both on the accuracy of its application and on the timely removal of the suture. Therefore, it is better if a professional medical professional removes the stitches. But if you are sure that your wound has completely healed and will not cause discomfort, you can try to remove the stitches yourself.

When can stitches be removed?

after head surgery - after 6 days;
after appendectomy (removal of appendicitis) or hernia repair - after 7 days;
after laparotomy, as well as after transection - after 9-12 days;
after thoracotomy (chest surgery) - after 10-14 days;
after carrying out - in 12-14 days;
after operations in elderly people, as well as in people weakened by infection, patients with oncology (the body of such people has a reduced ability to regenerate tissue) - at least after 14 days.

How to remove stitches correctly?

First you need to carefully remove the bandage, holding the skin with something so that it does not stretch too much. If you have a bandage glued to your wound, you need to moisten it and then remove it along the wound (but not across, so as not to inadvertently open the wound!). A very dried bandage can be moistened with a solution of hydrogen peroxide using a gauze swab.
If the bandage is on the foot or arm, you can soak it with a manganese solution. To do this, pour warm water into a sterile container, add a few drops of a 30% solution of potassium permanganate to it until you get an intense Pink colour. Next, lower your leg or arm there for about 5 minutes. You can remove the limb from the water after the bandage has already been removed.
The bandage that is on the wound does not need to be twisted during removal; it is better to simply cut it.
The seam area must be treated with medical alcohol or solution.
After this, you need to take surgical tweezers, a napkin and scissors. Using tweezers, carefully pull up one end of the thread (which is tied to the side of the seam). After pulling out the white thread a few millimeters, bring the scissors under it and cut the thread close to the skin. Using tweezers, carefully and slowly pull out the cut thread with the knot. It is important that the thread on top does not go deep into the tissue and infect it.

Surgical intervention of any complexity is a kind of stress for the body.

Even if performing an operation is a matter of life or death, the main task of the doctor is not only to perform it competently, but also to prepare the patient for further recovery.

The most common way to connect different biological tissues, such as the edges of surgical incisions, lacerations, or the walls of internal organs, to reduce bleeding is by the surgeon applying sutures.

It is advisable that the stitches be removed by the same specialist who placed them, however, there are situations when this is not possible.

A certain amount of time must pass for the wound to heal. If these deadlines have passed, and the wound looks completely healed, then you can try to remove the stitches yourself. But it is important to adhere to certain safety rules.

So let's find out how a person can remove stitches at home? First, let's look at what seams are.

To apply sutures, various medical suture materials are used: absorbable or non-absorbable threads of biological or synthetic origin, as well as metal wire.

Sutures are divided depending on the time of their application: primary, delayed primary, provisional, early secondary and late secondary suture, as well as immersed and removable sutures.

A removable suture is a type of surgical suture when the suture material is removed from the tissues after the wound has healed, and when a submerged suture is applied, the suture material, remaining in the tissues, dissolves after a certain time.

The primary suture is used to close surgical wounds after surgery or to a traumatic cut or laceration immediately after surgical treatment.

A delayed primary suture is applied for a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 7 days, granulation should develop in a random wound, and then an early secondary suture is applied to the wound.

A provisional suture is one of the varieties of a delayed primary suture; in this case, the threads are applied during surgery and tied 2-3 days after surgery.

And a late secondary suture is applied within a period of 15 to 30 days or more when scar tissue appears in the wound.

Why is it important to remove stitches on time?

It is important to understand that stitches need to be applied correctly and removed in time..

What happens if the stitches are not removed? If this is not done in time, then dangerous inflammation may begin, as the body will try to get rid of the foreign material on its own.

A natural question arises: is it possible to remove the stitches yourself? Trying to remove stitches of any kind at home is not recommended. If you act independently, there is a very high probability of getting an infection, and this is fraught with serious consequences.

The timing of suture removal is influenced by the following factors:

the presence of complications of the surgical wound;
regenerative features of the body;
general condition of the patient;
patient's age;
in what area of the body the operation was performed;
complexity of surgical intervention;
features of the disease.

How long after surgery should the sutures be removed? To put it simply, this is very individual, so the timing can only be determined by your attending physician.

However, there are average terms that experts focus on. They depend on the type of surgical intervention (what kind of operation was performed) and the patient’s condition (weakened, for example, by cancer, the patient’s body will be less able to rehabilitate, so it may require additional time for tissue healing).

Doctors usually remove sutures after surgery:

after head surgery - 6 days later;
with a small opening of the abdominal wall (appendectomy or herniotomy) - after 7 days;
for operations requiring a large opening of the abdominal wall (transection or laparotomy) - the sutures are removed on days 9-12;
after surgical interventions on the chest, the sutures are removed on days 10-14;
after amputation, the sutures must be removed after an average of 12 days;
for surgical interventions in patients weakened by diseases and infections, in elderly, cancer patients (due to a decrease in the body’s ability to regenerate) - the procedure is carried out no earlier than 2 weeks later.

Preparation

Before proceeding with the actual removal of sutures, make sure that it is not dangerous to do so. In most cases, it is better not to touch the seams with your hands at all.

If the stitches appeared as a result of surgery or if they have not yet expired, then performing the procedure yourself is unlikely to bring positive results, but often it can cause harm.

Remember:

Choose what and how you are going to remove the stitches. At the same time, keep in mind that working with dull scissors is to your own detriment. Also, do not try to remove stitches with a knife, as it may slip and cut you!

What tools will you need:

scalpel, surgical scissors, mounting knife or manicure clippers (sterilized);
tweezers or tweezers (sterilized);
alcohol and hydrogen peroxide;
magnifying glass with built-in flashlight;
antibiotic ointment;
bandage (sterile).

Sterilize selected instruments. To do this, put them in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes, then take them back out, put them on a clean towel and wait until they are completely dry.

After this, wipe the tools with alcohol. Such measures will prevent infection in the wound.

Wash the area where you are going to remove stitches. All you need for this is water, soap and a clean towel.

You will also need cotton wool and alcohol to wipe the area around the seams with a cotton wool soaked in alcohol. Only after you have made sure that the area around the seams is completely clean can you begin to work.

Let's take a closer look at how to remove stitches after surgery yourself.

If during the removal of the sutures the skin begins to bleed, this means one thing - you were in a hurry to remove the sutures! In this case, it is best to stop and see a doctor who will remove the remaining stitches.

Under no circumstances pull the knot itself through the skin, as it will certainly get stuck and cause bleeding.

If the suture is placed intradermally, it is usually not removed. In this case, you just need to cut the threads on both sides, pull them up a little and notch. Then the wound is treated according to the method described above and a bandage is applied.

In some cases, intradermal cosmetic sutures are removed. In this case, you need to pull the thread at one end while holding the other end of the wound.

So, removing sutures is a painless procedure, but still unpleasant. To do this, it is important to be patient a little. After just a few days, everything should heal completely and the painful sensations should go away.

However, if pain appears after the stitches are removed, and the wound causes discomfort, you can take painkillers (Ketanov, Diclofenac, Meloxicam and others).

In addition, pain after suturing a wound may also be due to the fact that during tying knots, part of the nerve ending may remain in the wound, which is pulled, and therefore causes pain.

If the wound was sutured with silk threads, and they are non-absorbable suture material, they must be removed in time using the method described above.

How to properly care for a scar? The main thing is to consult a doctor promptly if any problems arise with the wound.

If the wound opens again, you will need to stitch it again. Unfortunately, bandages alone and waiting for healing will not work in this case.

So, treat the seam twice a day. How to handle it? If you have hydrogen peroxide on hand, that's great.

First, moisten the seam with hydrogen peroxide, waiting until it stops “fizzing.” After this, soak a sterile bandage in peroxide. Using a cotton swab, apply brilliant green directly to the seam.

Strong pain You won’t be able to feel it, there may only be a slight burning sensation that will soon pass. If the seam is inflamed in some places, lightly cauterize it with 40% medical alcohol.

You cannot wipe the entire seam, as the skin will become very dry, and this will slow down the process of tissue restoration. If you are unable to stop the inflammatory process, be sure to visit a surgeon and consult with him on this issue.

It is forbidden to treat the seam with iodine! Replace the brilliant green with fucorcin, but its disadvantage is that it will be very difficult to wash off after the wound has healed.

Also try not to remove scabs or remove whitish plaque, as this indicates that a new layer of epithelium is being built. When it is damaged, depressions are formed, so even a cosmetic seam can remain noticeable for life.

Reminders

It is not recommended to remove stitches after major surgery yourself.. All of the above instructions are intended only to assist in removing small stitches.

Unless your surgeon tells you otherwise, try not to get your suture cuts wet or soapy.

It is prohibited to remove surgical braces at home. For this, doctors use special tool, and your manipulations can only aggravate the injury.

So, if you have the above knowledge and do everything carefully, then you don’t have to worry about possible infection and tissue damage, and the scar will no longer bother you with its pain.

However, it is worth recognizing that visiting a doctor is more safe method getting rid of stitches.

Any surgical intervention is a forced measure associated with varying degrees of trauma to body tissues. How quickly the patient can return to active life depends on the recovery time of the body after surgery and the speed of healing of the sutures. Therefore, questions about how quickly the sutures will heal and how to avoid postoperative complications are so important. The speed of wound healing, the risk of complications and appearance scar after surgery. We'll talk more about seams today in our article.

Types of suture materials and suturing methods in modern medicine

An ideal suture material should have the following characteristics:

Be smooth and glide without causing additional damage. Be elastic, stretchable, without causing compression and tissue necrosis. Be durable and withstand loads. Tie securely in knots. Be biocompatible with body tissues, inert (do not cause tissue irritation), and have low allergenicity. The material should not swell from moisture. The period of destruction (biodegradation) of absorbable materials must coincide with the time of wound healing.

Different suture materials have different qualities. Some of them are advantages, others are disadvantages of the material. For example, smooth threads will be difficult to tighten into a strong knot, and the use of natural materials, so valued in other areas, is often associated with increased risk development of infection or allergy. Therefore the search ideal material are ongoing, and so far there are at least 30 thread options, the choice of which depends on specific needs.

Suture materials are divided into synthetic and natural, absorbable and non-absorbable. In addition, materials are manufactured consisting of one thread or several: monofilament or multifilament, twisted, braided, having various coatings.

Non-absorbable materials:

Natural - silk, cotton. Silk is a relatively durable material, thanks to its plasticity it ensures the reliability of knots. Silk is a conditionally non-absorbable material: over time, its strength decreases, and after about a year the material is absorbed. In addition, silk threads cause a pronounced immune response and can serve as a reservoir of infection in the wound. Cotton has low strength and is also capable of causing intense inflammatory reactions. Stainless steel threads are durable and produce minimal inflammatory reactions. Used in abdominal surgeries, when suturing the sternum and tendons. The best characteristics have synthetic non-absorbable materials. They are more durable and their use causes minimal inflammation. Such threads are used for matching soft tissues, in cardiac and neurosurgery, and ophthalmology.

Absorbable materials:

Natural catgut. The disadvantages of the material include a pronounced tissue reaction, the risk of infection, insufficient strength, inconvenience in use, and the inability to predict the timing of resorption. Therefore, the material is currently practically not used. Synthetic absorbable materials. Made from degradable biopolymers. They are divided into mono and polyfilament. Much more reliable compared to catgut. Have certain deadlines resorption, differing in different materials, quite durable, do not cause significant tissue reactions, and do not slip in the hands. Not used in neuro and cardiac surgery, ophthalmology, in situations where constant strength of sutures is required (for suturing tendons, coronary vessels).

Suture methods:

Ligature sutures - they are used to ligate vessels to ensure hemostasis. Primary sutures - allow you to compare the edges of the wound for healing by primary intention. Sutures can be continuous or interrupted. According to indications, immersed, purse-string and subcutaneous sutures can be applied. Secondary sutures - this method is used to strengthen the primary sutures, to re-close the wound with big amount granulations, in order to strengthen the wound, healing by secondary intention. Such sutures are called retention sutures and are used to unload the wound and reduce tissue tension. If the primary suture was applied in a continuous manner, interrupted sutures are used for the secondary suture, and vice versa.

How long do stitches take to heal?

Every surgeon strives to achieve wound healing by primary intention. In this case, tissue restoration takes place in as soon as possible, swelling is minimal, there is no suppuration, the amount of discharge from the wound is insignificant. Scarring with this type of healing is minimal. The process goes through 3 phases:

Inflammatory reaction (first 5 days), when leukocytes and macrophages migrate to the wound area, destroying microbes, foreign particles, and destroyed cells. During this period, the connection of the tissues has not reached sufficient strength, and they are held together by seams. The phase of migration and proliferation (up to the 14th day), when fibroblasts produce collagen and fibrin in the wound. Thanks to this, granulation tissue is formed from the 5th day, and the strength of fixation of the wound edges increases. Phase of maturation and restructuring (from the 14th day until complete healing). During this phase, collagen synthesis and connective tissue formation continue. Gradually, a scar forms at the site of the wound.

How long does it take for stitches to be removed?

When the wound has healed to the point that it no longer requires the support of non-absorbable sutures, they are removed. The procedure is carried out under sterile conditions. At the first stage, the wound is treated with an antiseptic, and hydrogen peroxide is used to remove crusts. Grasping the thread with surgical tweezers, cross it at the point where it enters the skin. Gently pull the thread from the opposite side.

Suture removal time depending on their location:

Sutures on the skin of the torso and limbs should be left in place for 7 to 10 days. Stitches on the face and neck are removed after 2-5 days. Retention sutures are left in place for 2-6 weeks.

Factors influencing the healing process

The speed of healing of sutures depends on many factors, which can be divided into several groups:

Features and nature of the wound. Definitely, wound healing after minor surgery will be faster than after laparotomy. The process of tissue restoration is lengthened in the case of suturing a wound after an injury, when there has been contamination, penetration of foreign bodies, and crushing of tissue. Location of the wound. Healing occurs best in areas with good blood supply and a thin layer of subcutaneous fat. Factors determined by the nature and quality of surgical care provided. In this case, the features of the incision, the quality of intraoperative hemostasis (stopping bleeding), the type of suture materials used, the choice of suturing method, compliance with aseptic rules, and much more are important. Factors related to the patient’s age, weight, and health status. Tissue repair is faster at a young age and in people with normal body weight. Prolong the healing process and can provoke the development of complications chronic diseases, in particular, diabetes mellitus and other endocrine disorders, oncopathology, vascular diseases. At risk are patients with foci of chronic infection, with reduced immunity, smokers, and HIV-infected people. Reasons related to the care of the postoperative wound and sutures, compliance with diet and drinking regimen, and the patient’s physical activity in postoperative period, following the surgeon’s recommendations, taking medications.

How to properly care for seams

If the patient is in the hospital, the sutures are cared for by a doctor or nurse. At home, the patient should follow the doctor's recommendations for wound care. It is necessary to keep the wound clean, treat it daily with an antiseptic: a solution of iodine, potassium permanganate, brilliant green. If a bandage is applied, consult your doctor before removing it. Special medications can speed up healing. One of these products is contractubex gel, containing onion extract, allantoin, and heparin. It can be applied after epithelization of the wound.

For the speedy healing of postpartum sutures, strict adherence is required hygiene rules:

washing hands thoroughly before using the toilet;
frequent change of gaskets;
daily change of linen and towels;
within a month, taking a bath should be replaced with a hygienic shower.

If there are external stitches on the perineum, in addition to careful hygiene, you need to take care of the dryness of the wound; for the first 2 weeks you should not sit on a hard surface, constipation should be avoided. It is recommended to lie on your side, sit on a circle or pillow. The doctor may recommend special exercises to improve blood supply to tissues and wound healing.

Healing of sutures after caesarean section

You will need to wear a postoperative bandage and maintain hygiene; after discharge, it is recommended to take a shower and wash the skin in the suture area twice a day with soap. At the end of the second week, you can use special ointments to restore the skin.

Healing of sutures after laparoscopy

Complications after laparoscopy are rare. To protect yourself, you should remain in bed for 24 hours after the intervention. At first, it is recommended to stick to a diet and give up alcohol. For body hygiene, a shower is used, and the suture area is treated with an antiseptic. The first 3 weeks limit physical activity.

Possible complications

The main complications during wound healing are pain, suppuration and insufficient sutures (dehiscence). Suppuration can develop due to the penetration of bacteria, fungi or viruses into the wound. Most often, infection is caused by bacteria. Therefore, after surgery, the surgeon often prescribes a course of antibiotics for prophylactic purposes. Postoperative suppuration requires identification of the pathogen and determination of its sensitivity to antibacterial agents. In addition to prescribing antibiotics, the wound may need to be opened and drained.

What to do if the seam comes apart?

Suture insufficiency is more often observed in elderly and debilitated patients. The most likely timing of complications is from 5 to 12 days after surgery. In such a situation, you should immediately seek medical help. The doctor will decide on further management of the wound: leave it open or re-suture the wound. In case of evisceration - penetration of an intestinal loop through a wound, emergency surgical intervention is required. This complication may occur due to bloating, severe coughing or vomiting.

What to do if the stitch hurts after surgery?

Pain in the suture area for a week after surgery can be considered normal. During the first few days, the surgeon may recommend taking a painkiller. Following the doctor’s recommendations will help reduce pain: limiting physical activity, wound care, wound hygiene. If the pain is intense or persists for a long time, you should consult a doctor, since pain may be a symptom of complications: inflammation, infection, formation of adhesions, hernia.

You can speed up wound healing by using folk remedies. For this purpose, herbal mixtures are used internally in the form of infusions, extracts, decoctions and local applications, herbal ointments, rubbing. Here are some of the folk remedies used:

Pain and itching in the suture area can be relieved with herbal decoctions: chamomile, calendula, sage. Treatment of the wound vegetable oils- sea buckthorn, tea tree, olive. The frequency of treatment is twice a day. Lubricating the scar with a cream containing calendula extract. Applying a cabbage leaf to the wound. The procedure has an anti-inflammatory and healing effect. Cabbage leaf must be clean, it must be doused with boiling water.

Before using herbal remedies, you should definitely consult a surgeon. He will help you choose individual treatment and give the necessary recommendations.

Postoperative sutures are usually 7-10 days after surgery. Usually during this time the patient remains in hospital, and the condition is monitored by a medical professional. Sometimes it happens that the patient can be sent home earlier, but at the same time he must be treated.

To care for postoperative uninfected patients, you will need various antiseptics: alcohol, iodine, potassium permanganate solution, etc. You can also use hydrogen peroxide, 10% sodium chloride solution or regular brilliant green. We should not forget about the necessary means at hand, such as an adhesive plaster, tweezers, sterile wipes and a bandage. It is important not only the seams, but also how to process them correctly. This largely depends on the nature and complexity of the operation itself. For example, when it comes to caring for sutures after eye surgery, the patient must perform daily careful external treatment under the supervision of a specialist, otherwise they can be fatal.

How to process seams

If the operation was successful, the patient is on home treatment and the seams are not infected, their treatment should begin with thorough rinsing with an antiseptic liquid. To do this, you need to take a small piece of napkin with tweezers and moisten it generously with peroxide or alcohol. Then use a blotting motion to work the seam and the area around it. The next step is to apply a sterile bandage, previously soaked in a hypertonic solution and wrung out. You need to put another sterile napkin on top. At the end, the seam is bandaged and sealed with adhesive tape. If the wound is not, this procedure can be carried out every other day.

Postoperative scar care

If the sutures were removed in, the postoperative scar will have to be treated. Caring for it is quite simple - daily lubrication with brilliant green for a week. If nothing is oozing from the scar and it is dry enough, there is no need to cover it with an adhesive plaster, since such wounds heal much faster in the air. It should be remembered that in case of systematic appearance of blood or fluid at the site of the scar, its independent treatment is not recommended. It is better to trust professional doctors, as this may indicate an infection in the wound. It is important to know that when processing seams you should not use cotton swabs. Their particles on the seam can cause an inflammatory process. Easy-to-use gauze pads are an excellent alternative.

Suturing is prerequisite surgical operations and when receiving deep wounds. Sutures are placed to ensure rapid fusion of tissues, necessary for their further normal functioning and for aesthetic purposes.

Instructions

It is advisable to have the stitches removed by a qualified specialist. If you have undergone a serious operation or have a very deep wound, then a doctor must monitor the fusion of tissues and remove the stitches. You can also go to a paid clinic if you cannot get to your surgeon. They can remove stitches there quickly and for an affordable price.

If the wound was shallow and no problems arose during the healing process, then the stitches can be removed yourself. It is important to know how you can remove them. On average it is 6-9 days. If the wound is on the face or neck, the stitches can be removed after 4-6 days.

Sources:

how to treat a scar from surgery

Postoperative sutures must be treated daily. If a nurse does this in the hospital, then at home you will have to take care of the treatment yourself. But don’t worry, you will succeed, because it’s not at all difficult to do, and you don’t need to have any special professional skills.

You will need

- hydrogen peroxide;
- brilliant green;
- sterile bandage;
- cotton wool, cotton swabs or disks.

Instructions

First, go to the pharmacy. Buy hydrogen peroxide and sterile dressings. You also need to purchase sterile cotton wool, but regular cotton pads or swabs can be used. If you have already stopped applying the bandage, you do not need it. The bandage somewhat prolongs healing, since the wound under it. In any case, consult a doctor, but you can be sure that without a bandage the seam will not come apart; it only prevents infection from getting inside.

Then the surgeon quietly pulls out the thread, picking it up with tweezers at the part of the suture that is outside, and again cuts it off near the living tissue. This procedure must be done with all parts of the suture material and at the end the remaining one must be removed.

After the procedure, the threads must be disposed of, and the remaining scar must be treated with an antiseptic such as iodine or a solution of potassium permanganate.

After the sutures are removed, the patient is given a sterile dressing for several days, which must be changed as needed.

Wounds after injuries and operations are closed with sutures. In order for healing to proceed quickly and without complications, it is necessary to follow certain rules for their processing.

Preparations for treating seams

Normal wound healing after suturing will be possible only if it is. In this case, the sutures themselves must be placed in such a way as to exclude the possible formation of a cavity between the edges of the wound. Uninfected sutures are processed daily, but not earlier than one day after their application. Various antiseptics are used for treatment: iodine, brilliant green, potassium permanganate, alcohol, Iodopyron, Fukortsin, Castellani liquid. Healing wounds are treated with an ointment containing panthenol. Sea buckthorn ointment and ointment with. To prevent the formation of keloid scars, you can use Contractubex or silicone ointment.

How to treat stitches on wounds

When processing, it is not recommended to use cotton wool, as its particles can remain on the surface and cause inflammation. It is better to use gauze pads. The sutures are treated once a day for five to six days. The dressing must be changed daily until the threads are removed. In hospitals, dressings are performed in specially designated areas (dressing rooms). Daily dressing procedures contribute to faster healing of the wound, since the air helps the suture dry out.

After applying the suture, you should carefully monitor the condition of the wound. Warning signs include the bandage getting wet with blood, swelling, swelling, and redness around the suture. Discharge from a wound indicates an infection that may spread further. Infected, purulent sutures cannot be treated independently. In these cases, you need to urgently consult a doctor.

Sutures are usually removed within 7-14 days, depending on the location of the wound. The procedure is painless and does not require anesthesia. Before removing the suture, it is drawn; after removing the threads, the suture is not covered with a bandage. After removing the threads, the seam needs to be processed for a few more days. Water treatments after two to three days. When washing, do not rub the seam with a washcloth, so as not to damage the scar. After a shower, you need to blot the seam with a bandage and treat it with hydrogen peroxide, after which you need to apply brilliant green to it. Two to three weeks after removal of the threads, phonophoresis with special absorbable solutions can be used. In this case, the sutures heal faster and the scars become less noticeable.

Instructions

Uninfected surgical sutures should be treated with antiseptic solutions - chlorhexidine, fucorcin, brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide. It is recommended to treat sutures with antiseptics for up to 14 days from the date of surgery. Sometimes this period is less, sometimes more. For example, after a caesarean section, the stitches and bandage are removed within a week.

For disinfection postoperative suture Apply a small amount of brilliant green or other antiseptic to a cotton swab and carefully treat the stitched wound. It is not recommended to wipe the seam - this slows down the process of tissue regeneration. Surgeons advise treating the suture with antiseptics twice a day. If the seam is large, it is better not to process it cotton swab, but with a cotton pad or a piece of sterile napkin soaked in an antiseptic solution. After disinfection, apply a dry, clean bandage or silicone patch to the seam. If the seam is dry, you don’t have to seal it with anything, so it will heal even faster.

Often, treating a pet involves surgical intervention in its body. For example, a dog has a lacerated wound on its paw, and it needs to be stitched up; an operation is performed. The intervention may be different, but if it involved suturing soft tissues, then sutures were applied for this. They will need to be removed after a certain period of time. Actually, this should be done by a veterinarian, but in life anything can happen, and it may happen that you have to remove the stitches for your pet yourself. How to do it right? On what day can stitches be removed? We invite you to find out about all this right now.

Self-removal of surgical sutures for cats and dogs

In fact, if you adhere to strict recommendations and rules, removing stitches yourself is not that difficult. difficult task. True, if you still have the opportunity to contact a specialist for this, it is better to do just that. If this is not possible, try to do everything as carefully as possible, it is advisable to have someone help you fix the animal, use only clean, sterile instruments for this and try to act as carefully as possible so as not to damage the soft tissues.

When can animals have stitches removed?

As a rule, after surgery, veterinarians themselves talk about how long it will take to remove the sutures. However, this period is conditional. If you see that the time for removing the sutures has already come, but the wound has not yet healed, and the edges of the skin are still separating, it is better to delay removing the sutures so that after removing the surgical thread, the edges of the wound do not separate.

On average, when the healing process is going well, this can be seen at the edges of the incision - they are practically no longer visible, the skin in this place is not inflamed and there is no redness, stitches can be removed after 6-10 days.

If the area of the animal’s head or neck was sutured, then after 5-7 days, but if the surgical intervention involved an incision in the area of the paws, chest, or peritoneum, then it is better to wait 10-14 days.

What affects the rate of healing of wound edges

For one dog, the sutures on the paw can be removed after 5 days, while for another, 2 weeks are not enough for the edges of its wound to close. Why is this happening? Although the same threads are used, and the operations are identical.

The processes of skin regeneration in the body also depend on the age of the animal. Young cats and dogs have a rapid recovery rate, while adult and older animals may have stitches for longer and are not recommended to have them removed before 2 weeks, even if the wound appears to have healed. Immunity and the regenerative individual characteristics of the body can affect the speed of healing.

How to determine that stitches can already be removed

What to do if you have lost count of the days when your pet had surgery, but there is no way to contact a veterinarian? Here you will have to act offhand, focusing less on the calendar and more on the appearance of the wound. Only if its edges are completely fused and there is no inflammation, you can remove the sutures yourself.

If we are talking about abdominal surgery, and the incision is large enough, then it is better to consult a veterinarian.

It is not recommended to walk with stitches longer than expected, as over time they begin to grow into the skin, an inflammatory process may begin, and the procedure for removing them can cause discomfort and pain to your pet.

Instructions for removing stitches for an animal

Required Tools

To remove stitches you will need:

Manicure or surgical thin scissors, they should be sharp and cut well,
Tweezers - you will use them to tighten the thread.
Plaster, gauze, bandage - dressing material that you use to cover the wound after the stitches are removed.
Alcohol, iodine, antibiotic ointment are used to treat the surface of the wound after removing the sutures.
Boiling water and metal utensils - you will use them to sterilize your instruments to avoid infection.
Help from a friend - he will help you hold the cat or dog so that during your manipulations the animal does not inadvertently twitch.