Surgical wound healing.
After surgery your skin and tissue will
take time to heal. This will happen in
three overlapping stages that we call,
respond, repair and refine. During the
respond stage the body helps to
rebalance itself after the surgery as
platelets helped form a blood clot stopping
you bleeding and protecting the surgical
site or wound from germs and infections.
With the help of stitches also known as
sutures or other materials such as glue
or staples, your skin is being pulled back
together after the surgery and because
of this your wound is closed.
Healing is taking place underneath the wound and
also on the outside of the skin.
In the first few days after your surgery you
may notice redness and heat around the
wound this means the blood vessels are
getting bigger to make room for red
blood cells and fluids which bring
oxygen warmth and protective cells to
help your body heal itself.
White blood cells help clean up the area by removing
any fluid, dead tissue and bacteria that
isn't needed in the healing process.
Sometimes a drain, which is a thin
plastic tube placed near the wound, is
used for a couple of days to help remove
fluid from the wound and keep it clean.
The area where the cut was made may also
be swollen and painful because of this
increased activity and blood flow.
The heat, redness, pain and swelling uh known
as inflammation. Inflammation is normal
and usually goes away a few days after surgery.
In the repair stage the body
gets to work on the outside of the wound
covering it with new cells within 24
hours of the surgery. Your wound would be
covered with a dressing or bandage to
protect these new cells and give them
time to grow and form new skin and tissue.
Healing will still be taking
place underneath the wound for roughly
three to seven days.
The refine stage
happens in the year following your surgery.
In this time the structure and
strength of the wound improves and will
continue to improve for months after the
wound is closed. Fom day one up to around
day 14 the skin and scar tissue gained
thirty to fifty percent of its original
strength. When fully healed it will be
around eighty percent of its original strength.
Surgical wounds generally heal
quickly when they are well cared for and
protected from infection.
Materials to close the wound.
Without a dressing covering the wound,
you may notice some material along the wound margins which
are used to support the incision while it heals.
Your surgeon uses stitches to
close the deeper layers of your wound
these do not need to be removed and will
dissolve over time. Depending on which
product will help your skin heal best
your surgeon also selects either sutures,
staples, glue or tapes to cover the top
of the wound. Sutures and stitches are
either dissolvable or non dissolvable.
Wounds closed with dissolvable sutures
do not need anything removed from the
incision line. These may be one or two
clear plastic like sutures, visible
usually at the very end or mid incision
but these do not need to be trimmed or
removed. Please leave them to dissolve
naturally over time. If your skin is
closed with non dissolvable sutures the
dark threads are usually removed by a
healthcare professional usually around
10 to 14 days after surgery.
Surgical clips, which look like staples, sit on top
of your skin and are not difficult to remove.
These thin, small metal bars are
removed by a healthcare professional
approximately two weeks after surgery.
If glue or adhesive is used to close your
skin, the film will fall naturally from
your skin after five to ten days. Please
do not pick or rub the film off and do
not let your wounds soak in water.
After ten days it is a good idea to start
rinsing the area gently to help remove
the glue residue. Sometimes steri strips,
which are white or brown tapes, are used
to bring the skin around the wound
together. Avoid getting the tapes wet as
this reduces their ability to stick and
hold the skin together. When the tapes
start to curl or peel away after five to
seven days you may wet and gently
remove them. Have a daily wash with
liquid soap but to help your wound heal
do not rub or actively wash the area for
the first weeks, just rinse gently with
warm water and pat dry first before
drying the rest of your body.
Avoid any creams, talc or ointments on
the wound for the first months and don't
worry if different products seem
confusing - your doctors and nurses will
help and advise you during your hospital
stay as well as on any follow-up care.