How are stitches removed after surgery?

The operations performed involve suturing the skin. Before removing them, you must follow the recommendations that will be aimed at preventing infection or other complications. The exclusion of these factors will help solve the problem of whether it is painful to remove stitches after surgery.

Timing when stitches are removed

Patients after the intervention are interested in the question on what day after the operation the sutures are removed. Compliance with the terms is an important point of the postoperative period. Premature removal of sutures after surgery threatens with divergence and possible infection, with late procedures, the suture material grows into the skin. To determine how long the stitches are removed after the operation, it is necessary to clarify the nature of the operation performed. Among them:

• The amputation performed involves the removal of sutures after 2 weeks.
• Operations in the head area require its removal after a week, as well as superficial procedures on the anterior abdominal wall or a caesarean section.
• Up to 14 days, the procedure is carried out after deep and traumatic operations in the abdominal cavity or chest, as well as natural childbirth.

These terms are conditional, as the attending physician decides on the withdrawal on an individual basis. Reduction is possible with good recovery, absence of suppuration and rapid rehabilitation. The lengthening of the period is possible with the development of inflammation, a difficult recovery period, the presence of complications, etc. It should be remembered that in elderly patients, the time at which suture removal occurs may be lengthened. In some cases, in the presence of infiltrates or suppuration, the doctor may decide to remove them immediately and heal the skin by secondary intention.

Conditions to consider when removing sutures

Among the main factors on the basis of which the doctor determines how many days to remove stitches after surgery, there are:

• Areas of the body. Due to the fact that different parts of the body have different blood supply, regeneration processes occur at different times.
• The most active blood supply is rich in areas on the face or neck.
• The presence of infectious factors. In some cases, in the presence of infection, it is required to remove foreign objects from the wound within a short time.
• The weight of the patient. The presence of a large amount of adipose tissue causes a slowdown in the healing process due to slow blood supply to these areas.
• Age. In older patients, the healing process is slower.
• The state of the immune system. Insufficiency of immune forces causes the prerequisites for a longer healing of tissues.

Is the procedure painful?

Many people wonder if it hurts to remove stitches after surgery.
The removal of sutures is a procedure that does not cause pain.
Normally, only minor discomfort may occur, which does not require the use of painkillers. It is painful to remove sutures after surgery in cases where there are signs of ingrowth of the material or inflammation has been tolerated. In order to minimize it, you can use local anesthetics in the form of a spray.

Preparation for suture removal

Before removing postoperative sutures at home, it is necessary to follow several basic measures that will be aimed at preventing infection, as well as the development of complications.
Among the preparatory activities are:

• Before removing the stitches after the operation, it is required to select the necessary tools, including sharpened scissors with sharp ends, as well as tweezers.
• Before the procedure, sterilize the instrument no earlier than 30 minutes. It will destroy all infectious agents that have accumulated on objects. To do this, at home, it is enough to boil the tool in clean water for at least 15 minutes. After boiling, cool the products. It is necessary to remove the stitches after the operation only with clean instruments.
• Before removing the stitches after the operation, it is necessary to wipe the instrument with an alcohol solution.
• Prepare consumables that may be required for subsequent wound care. To do this, you need to use bandages and an antibacterial-based ointment.
• The wound area is cleaned with soapy water and dried with a clean towel, followed by rubbing with an alcohol solution.

How to remove postoperative sutures

The need to remove sutures at home arises when it is impossible to visit a medical institution due to a serious condition, difficulties in movement and other factors. In advance, how to perform the procedure yourself, you need to ask the doctor how the sutures are removed after the operation.

The patient or his relatives must remember how to remove the stitches after the operation on their own, so that there are no difficulties during the procedure.

• The procedure is performed in a comfortable position, when the patient or his assistant clearly sees the wound.
• The knot is first lifted with tweezers.
• When stitches are removed after surgery, an incision is made with scissors directly at the surface of the skin.
• Next, the thread is pulled out at one of the ends, it is impossible to make quick movements, as well as damage to adjacent tissues.
• All nodes are removed sequentially.

Relatives who are not afraid of performing such procedures can also remove stitches after surgery at home.

Withdrawal rules

When removing sutures at home, you must follow a few basic rules that will prevent the development of complications:
When removing the thread, you should not allow the knot to pass through the surface of the skin, as this can cause not only bleeding, but also pain.
After removing all the threads, it is necessary to inspect the wound area for the presence of material residues in it, which subsequently cause inflammation.
After the end of all manipulations, the scar area is treated with a brilliant green solution and a bandage is applied.
It is not recommended to perform procedures with a wound on your own. Only after consulting with a specialist, he will decide how long the sutures are removed after the operation. It is also important to follow all the basic recommendations. This will determine whether or not it hurts to remove stitches after surgery.