Hi everyone,
To listen to a podcast about wound care after minor surgery, click here.
In this podcast I outline wound care instructions after minor surgery. This applies to procedures which are usually performed under local anaesthesia on a day only basis – things like removal of moles, cysts or small skin cancers.
I try to make the wound care and dressings as simple as possible.
For stitches on the face:
- You can shower from the following day. You can get the wound lightly wet, then pat it dry.
- No swimming or exercise for a week
- Apply vaseline to the wound twice a day
I try to use non dissolving stitches where-ever I can, in which case the wound will be covered with 3 layers of paper tape (Micropore). This is available over the counter at the chemist.
- You can shower from the following day. You can get the wound lightly wet, then pat it dry.
- No swimming or exercise for a week
- Leave the paper tape on. Don’t peel it off. If it falls off, apply a new clean piece of micropore tape.
On the scalp, I use staples, as they don’t damage the hair follicles and are easy to remove.
- You can shower and use shampoo on the same day as your surgery. You can get the wound lightly wet, then pat it dry.
- No swimming or exercise for a week
- You don’t need to apply anything to the wound
Sometimes, I close wounds on the arms and legs with a mixture of dissolving and non dissolving sutures. In these cases, I will apply vaseline straight onto the sutures, then some gauze, and then a crepe bandage.
- You can shower from the following day but put the arm or leg in a plastic bag.
- On Day 2 or 3 (I will let you know which), you can remove the bandage and gauze, until you are just looking at your stitches. You can get the wound lightly wet, then pat it dry.
- No swimming or exercise for a week
- Apply vaseline to the wound twice a day
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the