What should you know about plastic surgery stitches?

A surgeon may use stitches beneath the skin, on the surface, or both. Some surgical sutures dissolve as healing progresses; others need removal at a planned review. Mild tightness, bruising, swelling or tenderness can occur around a fresh wound, but the expected pattern depends on the procedure and body area. The closure method can affect scar appearance, yet healing also depends on skin tension, smoking, health conditions and aftercare.

Follow the surgeon's instructions about keeping the dressing dry, washing the area and limiting stretching or pressure. Do not pull, cut or remove a stitch yourself. Use only recommended products on the wound, and attend the planned review so the clinician can check healing and remove non-dissolving stitches if needed. Wound care and dressing advice should be specific to the operation. Lidocaine may be used during a procedure to numb the area, rather than as a wound-healing treatment.

Contact the surgical team promptly if redness spreads, pain increases, swelling becomes marked, the wound opens, or drainage becomes thick, foul-smelling or bloody. Seek urgent care for heavy bleeding, fever with feeling very unwell, breathing trouble or rapidly worsening swelling. A loose thread alone is not always an emergency, but it should be reported because the closure may need checking.

Ask whether your stitches dissolve, when they should be reviewed, which activities could strain the wound and how to protect the scar from sunlight. Confirm which dressing, cleanser and pain relief are suitable for your operation, and ask whether your tetanus vaccination is up to date if the wound was caused by an injury.