INCISION AND SUTURE CARE
Incisions and suture lines are a necessary part of surgery. These lines take many
months to fully heal. Part of the healing process requires proper cleansing and care.
There is no guarantee as to what a scar will look like once it has fully healed, however
the following instructions are important to achieving optimal outcomes.
Initial Care
If you have a dressing, keep the clear plastic film or gauze that covers your incision on
for 48 hours. If you have a clear plastic film dressing, you may shower right away.
Otherwise, keep the dressing clean and dry for 48 hrs.
If you have surgical tapes under your dressing, leave them in place, no other care is
needed. If you have sutures, apply Bacitracin antibiotic ointment twice daily.
Showering (not bathing) is fine for all incisions 48 hours after surgery, unless otherwise
instructed.
Do not immerse the wound in water (swim, ocean, bath etc.) until at least 14 days after
your surgery.
Direct trauma and physical stress may result in a separation of the suture edges or a
wider scar.
Suture Removal
Depending on where your sutures are, they may be removed as early as 5 – 7 days
(face) after surgery, or as long as 2 weeks (hand and extremities) after surgery.
Alternatively, they may be internal, dissolvable sutures. Once your incisions have
healed, applying a simple skin moisturizer is recommended. This aids in softening the
scar and may alleviate any itching in the surgically treated area. Good choices include
fragrance-free moisturizers like Eucerin, Aloe-Vera, and Vaseline. Vitamin E oil is
acceptable, although about 15% of people have a local allergic reaction to it.
Long Term Care
Scars take from 8 – 12 months to assume their permanent appearance. In the 12
months following surgery, you must wear a water-proof sunscreen with an SPF of at
least 30 at all times when in the sun, or wear protective clothing. New scars are very
sensitive to sunlight and sun damage may result in permanent changes in scar color or
quality. Scar massage is an important component of long term care and is usually
started 2 weeks after surgery (see Scar Massage information sheet).
Irregular Scars
Rarely, a scar will take on a nodular, bumpy, raised or thickened appearance; the scar
formation may be hypertrophic or keloid. If this should happen, please contact our
office. There are treatments that may be effective to flatten and improve the scar as it is
forming. There is no reliable evidence that starting scar treatments will make what
would have been a normal scar “heal better.” Therefore, these treatments are
recommended for patients with a history of problem scars or for those who are
developing a problem. However, if you wish to treat your scar we would recommend
ScarGuard or ScarFade, a topical treatment containing silicone.
Smoking
Do not resume or begin smoking (or using other nicotine products) after surgery. This
can reduce the oxygen in your blood and greatly impact your ability to heal. While it is
advised for your overall health that you quit smoking entirely, it is imperative that you do
not smoke whatsoever until your incisions have fully healed.