What should you know about surgical tape on stitches?

Tape can hold a dressing in place, reduce rubbing, or give light support to skin near a wound. It does not replace stitches and should not be used to force apart wound edges together or close a wound that needs examination. The treating clinician may leave tape over the skin after a procedure, sometimes alongside visible or buried sutures.

The area beneath tape still needs observation. Mild itching from adhesive can occur, but increasing redness, warmth, swelling, pain, or discharge may indicate irritation or infection. Tape placed too tightly can irritate skin and affect comfort.

Keep the tape clean and dry as instructed, and do not pull at stitches when changing a dressing. If an edge lifts, trim only loose parts when your clinician has said this is appropriate; do not re-tape across a wet, dirty, or opening wound. Avoid oils and unapproved creams beneath the adhesive. Tell the clinician if you have reacted to medical adhesives before.

Contact a clinician if the tape causes blistering, spreading rash, marked itching, or skin breakdown, or if the wound becomes more painful, hot, swollen, or wet with pus. Seek urgent help if the wound opens, bleeding does not settle with pressure, or you develop fever or feel significantly unwell. Do not hide these changes with another layer of tape.

Ask how long the tape should stay, whether it may get wet, what to do if it peels, which adhesive is suitable for your skin, and when the stitches and wound should be reviewed.