Wound Care

There are many different types of wound, and we have many different ways of treating them.

Your wound may have been treated with:

STITCHES

You have __x_____ stitches, please have them removed in__x____ days.  You will need to make an appointment with your GP or practice nurse to have them removed.

STERISTRIPS

These can be taken off in 5 to 7 days.  You should dampen the steristrips for 10 minutes and carefully peel them off the wound, take care not to pull too much on the wound edges.

GLUE

This is special medical glue.  The glue forms a scab which will drop off by itself when the wound is healed.  Keep the wound dry for the first 5 days, and then you can wash it with care.

YOU SHOULD:

• Keep the wound clean and dry for 5 days
• Wash around it with care
• Leave any dressings on for 5 days

YOU SHOULD NOT:

• Cover the wound with anything waterproof unless the doctor or nurse tells you to - this can make the wound soggy and more likely to get infected.
• Pick off any scabs that form on the wound

GO TO YOUR GP OR NEAREST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OR WALK IN CENTRE IF:

• Any fluid comes from the wound
• It is painful, red or swollen
• Your wound re-opens, there is only a small chance that this will happen

PLEASE REMEMBER: it may take six months or more for the scar to fade.