Usually, minor cuts and scrapes heal by themselves. However, more serious cuts or incisions from surgical procedures may require stitches (or sutures). These work by holding the tissue together so that it is able to heal.
For wounds that are not healing by themselves or for serious cuts, your experienced IPSA Medical doctor can help. Your IPSA Medical doctor will clean your injury (ensuring you do not develop any infections) and may also recommend that you require stitches.
Stitches help your skin tissues to fuse together. Usually, stitches remain in position for about 7–9 days; this allows your skin to heal with minimal infection risk and with minimal scarring.
You might feel anxious when it comes to getting stitches (especially if you have just experienced an event that is also traumatic), but it is usually a pain-free procedure.
At IPSA Medical, you will be seen by an A&E-trained doctor. You will be examined immediately in a quiet and clean setting. Your IPSA Medical doctor will give you a full examination and your wound will undergo a sterile cleansing.
You will be offered various treatment options by our IPSA Medical doctors such as Steristrips, stitches, glue and pressure bandages. Your IPSA Medical doctor will explain all of the methods that can be used to treat your wound both effectively and to minimise any scarring.
If you do require sutures, this can be done immediately under a local anaesthetic. This will maximise the chances of your skin being able to heal without any scarring.
You will be provided with thorough after-care advice. Your case will be reviewed free of charge after 10 days. This is both to remove the stitches and to assess how your wound is healing.
Contact IPSA Medical today for your same-day appointment with an experienced IPSA Medical doctor.
How to Tell If You Need to Have Stitches
Sometimes, wounds can look worse than they are. Therefore, it is often difficult to tell if your cut actually needs stitches or not. Our doctors at IPSA Medical will tell you if you need to have stitches.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, then you should seek medical help:
- The cut is somewhere where scarring might be an issue (such as on your face)
- The wound feels as if it is numb
- The cut is gaping, deep or jagged
- Your wound is still bleeding following 20 minutes of placing direct pressure on it and is bleeding heavily
How Does a Suture Work?
- Assessment: At first, an assessment is made of your injury, and your IPSA Medical doctor will determine if stitches are indeed the best option for you.
- Numbing the Area: If you do require stitches, your IPSA Medical doctor cleans the area and numbs it for you. A local anaesthetic can be administered if the wound is causing you pain.
This is done prior to cleaning, so that you are comfortable when the procedure is undertaken.
- Examining the Wound: Your IPSA Medical doctor will then closely examine your wound. This is done to see that there are no foreign objects, debris or dirt inside your wound before it is sewn together.
- X-Ray for Suspected Debris: If your doctor suspects that any debris is inside your wound, an x-ray may then be ordered. For example, if you have cut yourself on sharp glass or on sharp metal, it is essential that there are no shards left inside the cut.
- Stitching: Your doctor may remove dead tissue from the area of the wound. This helps your skin to heal faster. Your doctor will then pull the edges of the wound together and start making the stitches. This is done by looping the thread through each side of the cut and then tying a knot in the thread to keep the wound closed.
At IPSA Medical, we follow up your consultation with another appointment. This is 7–9 days later and is to assess your wound/remove your stitches. This procedure is painless and only takes a couple of minutes.
The doctors at IPSA Medical are experienced at dealing with these types of procedures. Click here to book your appointment at the IPSA Medical clinic.
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