stitch/steri strip care and removal?!
Question: Stitch/steri strip care and removal?
Answers:
Hi, I'm an O.R. nurse. What we usually tell people is to leave the gauze on till you are ready to shower, take it off, leave the steri-strips alone and let them fall off by themselves in a few days. The gauze is just there for any potential oozing. Your wound site will be closed (not healed, but closed) in a few days so if the steri-strips come off in the shower, it's alright. I've haven't heard of giving Vaseline before, we usually recommend an antibiotic cream or ointment to put on the sutures to prevent infection. Something along the lines of Polysporin or similar with an antibiotic in it would be preferable. Also, it's not a bad idea to keep the suture line covered until the stitches come out. A large bandage should do fine.
Btw, I had a sebaceous cyst removed from my back and that was the way I handled it. Hope this helps!
I am an Operating Room Nurse.