Cuts on the face closed with stitches: Overview
A cut on your face can be on your chin, cheek, nose, forehead, eyelid, lip, or ear.
The doctor used stitches to close the cut. Using stitches helps the cut heal and reduces scarring. The doctor may also have called in a specialist, such as a plastic surgeon, to close the cut.
If the cut went deep and through the skin, the doctor may have put in two layers of stitches. The deeper layer brings the deep part of the cut together. These stitches will dissolve and don't need to be removed. The stitches in the upper layer are the ones you see on the cut.
You will probably have a bandage.
You will need to have the stitches removed, usually in 3 to 5 days.
The doctor has checked you carefully, but problems can develop later. If you notice any problems or new symptoms, get medical treatment right away.
How can you care for cuts on the face closed with stitches?
- Keep the cut dry for the first 24 to 48 hours. After this, you can shower if your doctor okays it. Pat the cut dry.
- Don't soak the cut, such as in a bathtub. Your doctor will tell you when it's safe to get the cut wet.
- If your doctor told you how to care for your cut, follow your doctor's instructions. If you did not get instructions, follow this general advice:
- After the first 24 to 48 hours, wash around the cut with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing.
- You may cover the cut with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a nonstick bandage.
- Apply more petroleum jelly and replace the bandage as needed.
- Avoid any activity that could cause your cut to reopen.
- Do not remove the stitches on your own. Your doctor will tell you when to come back to have the stitches removed.
- Be safe with medicines. Take pain medicines exactly as directed.
- If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
- If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
How to stop bleeding from a facial wound
If emergency care is not needed, the following steps will protect the wound and protect you from another person's blood.
- Wash your hands well with soap and water, if available.
- Put on medical gloves before applying pressure to the wound.
If gloves are not available, to apply pressure you can:
- Use many layers of fabric, plastic bags, or whatever you have between your hands and the wound.
- Have the person hold their own hand over the wound, if possible, and apply pressure and elevate the injured area.
- Use your bare hands to apply pressure only as a last resort.
- Have the person lie down with their head elevated.
- Remove or cut clothing from around the wound.
- Remove any jewelry from the general area of the wound.
- Do not attempt to clean out the wound at this point.
- Press firmly on the facial wound with a clean cloth.
- If you don't have a clean cloth, use the cleanest material available.
- Do not press on an injured eye.
- If you need to press on the neck or throat area to stop bleeding, be careful. Don't interfere with the person's breathing.
- If there is an object in the wound, apply pressure around the object, not directly over it.
- Apply steady, direct pressure and elevate the area for a full 15 minutes.
Use a clock to time the 15 minutes. It can seem like a long time. Resist the urge to peek after a few minutes to see whether bleeding has stopped. If blood soaks through the cloth, apply another one without lifting the first.
- If needed, continue direct pressure and get help.
If moderate to severe bleeding has not slowed or stopped, continue direct pressure while getting help. Mild bleeding usually stops on its own or slows to an ooze or trickle after 15 minutes of pressure. It may ooze or trickle for up to 45 minutes. Do all you can to keep the wound clean and avoid further injury to the area.
- Watch for signs of shock.
Cuts on the face, closed with stitches: When to call
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
- You have new pain, or your pain gets worse.
- The skin near the cut is cold or pale or changes color.
- You have tingling, weakness, or numbness near the cut.
- The cut starts to bleed, and blood soaks through the bandage. Oozing small amounts of blood is normal.
- You have symptoms of infection, such as:
- Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness around the cut.
- Red streaks leading from the cut.
- Pus draining from the cut.
- A fever.
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
- You do not get better as expected.
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