Sutures and wound care
Stitches, explained
by Joe Miller
When a cut needs stitches, how doctors close a wound, how long stitches stay in, and how to care for them so they heal with the smallest scar.
Watch: the narrated video (4 minutes)
Does it need stitches?First aid for a cutFour ways to closeSuture types and sizesHow doctors sutureRemoval timesAftercareInfection signsSources
Education, not medical advice. This site explains how medicine works in plain English. It does not diagnose or treat anyone. Talk with your own doctor about your health, and call 911 for an emergency.
Does this cut need stitches?
First aid for a cut
- Press: firm, steady pressure with a clean cloth for 10 minutes. Don't peek.
- Rinse: run clean tap water over it for a few minutes. Skip hydrogen peroxide and alcohol; they damage healing tissue.
- Cover: a thin layer of petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment, then a bandage.
- Decide: use the chart above. Bleeding that soaks through, spurts or won't stop is an emergency: call 911.
Four ways to close a wound
| Method | Best for | Comes out | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutures (stitches) | Almost any cut, especially deep, jagged or on the face and hands | Removed in 3 to 14 days, or dissolve on their own | Most precise; the clinician numbs the skin first |
| Staples | Scalp, trunk, arms and legs, surgical incisions | Removed in 7 to 14 days with a special tool | Very fast; not used on the face |
| Skin glue (tissue adhesive) | Small, clean, straight cuts under low tension | Peels off on its own in 5 to 10 days | No needle or removal visit; keep it dry and don't put ointment on it |
| Adhesive strips (Steri-Strips) | Small cuts, or support after stitches come out | Fall off in about 1 to 2 weeks | Don't hold well on moving or hairy skin |
Suture types and sizes
Sutures are absorbable (the body breaks them down, used under the skin and in the mouth) or non-absorbable (taken out later, used on the skin surface). Size is a number with "-0": the bigger the number, the thinner the thread.
| Material | Kind | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| Nylon (for example, Ethilon) | Non-absorbable | The everyday choice for closing skin |
| Polypropylene (for example, Prolene) | Non-absorbable | Skin, blood vessels; slides out easily at removal |
| Silk | Non-absorbable | Tying off; rarely used on skin today |
| Polyglactin (for example, Vicryl) | Absorbable (weeks) | Deep layers under the skin |
| Poliglecaprone (for example, Monocryl) | Absorbable (weeks to months) | Hidden stitches just under the skin surface |
| Fast-absorbing gut | Absorbable (about a week) | Faces and children, so no removal visit |
| Polydioxanone (PDS) | Absorbable (months) | Deep, high-tension closures |
| Size | Thickness | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 6-0 | Very fine | Face, eyelids |
| 5-0 | Fine | Face, hands, fingers |
| 4-0 | Medium | Arms, legs, trunk |
| 3-0 | Heavy | Scalp, back, feet, high-tension areas |
How doctors suture (for students and the curious)
Don't stitch yourself or anyone else. Sutures need sterile tools, numbing medicine and training. A bad closure traps germs and causes serious infections. Clean it, cover it and get care.
- Assess: check feeling, movement and blood flow beyond the cut, and look for glass, tendons or bone. Some cuts get an X-ray first.
- Numb: inject a local anesthetic such as lidocaine around the wound edges.
- Clean: wash out the wound with lots of sterile saline under pressure ("irrigation"), and trim any dead tissue.
- Close in layers: deep cuts get absorbable stitches underneath first, so the skin stitches don't carry all the tension.
- Bring the edges together: the needle enters at a right angle, takes equal bites on each side, and the knot is snug but not tight. Skin swells, and tight stitches cut in and leave marks.
- Dress it: ointment and a bandage, a tetanus shot if needed, and instructions for removal.
When stitches come out
| Body area | Typical removal (days) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Face | 3 to 5 | Heals fast; early removal means less scarring |
| Neck | 5 to 7 | Good blood supply |
| Scalp | 7 to 10 | Staples are common here |
| Chest and belly | 7 to 10 | |
| Arms | 7 to 10 | |
| Back | 10 to 14 | Thick skin, lots of tension |
| Hands and fingers | 10 to 14 | Constant movement |
| Legs and feet | 10 to 14 | Slower blood flow |
| Over joints (knee, elbow) | 10 to 14 | Bending pulls the edges apart |
Typical ranges for healthy adults. Your clinician sets the exact day. Diabetes, smoking and steroids slow healing.
Aftercare
- Keep it dry for the first 24 to 48 hours, then gentle showers are usually fine. No soaking in baths, pools or hot tubs until the stitches are out.
- Clean once or twice a day with mild soap and water, pat dry, a thin layer of petroleum jelly, and a fresh bandage.
- Skin glue: no ointment (it dissolves the glue); let it fall off on its own.
- Go easy: avoid stretching the area, heavy lifting or sports until your clinician says it's OK.
- Scar care: once healed, sunscreen on the scar for a year keeps it from darkening; silicone gel or sheets can help it flatten.
- Tetanus: you need a booster if your last one was over 10 years ago, or over 5 years for a dirty or deep wound.
Healing or infected?
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Sources
Checked November 11, 2026.