Trunk Laceration, All Closures

Home care

The following guidelines will help you care for your laceration at home:

• Keep the wound clean and dry. If a bandage was applied and it becomes wet or dirty, replace it. Otherwise, leave it in place for the first 24 hours, then change it once a day or as directed.

• Always wash your hands before and after caring for your wound.

• If stitches or staples were used, change the bandage daily after the first 24 hours. Each day, look at the wound for any warning signs (see below). Also, be sure to do the following:

  • After removing the bandage, wash the area with soap and water. After cleaning, keep the wound clean and dry.

  • Talk with your health care provider about applying antibiotic ointment to the wound.

  • Reapply the bandage or dressing as you were instructed. Avoid touching the side of the bandage that will be next to the wound so that it stays clean.

  • You may remove the bandage and shower as usual after the first 24 hours. But don't soak the area in water until the stitches or staples are removed. This means no tub baths or swimming.

• If skin glue or surgical tapes were used, keep the area clean and dry. If it gets wet, blot it dry with a towel. Here are some other things to know:

  • Don't scratch, rub, or pick at the tape or skin glue. Don't place tape or bandages directly over the skin glue.

  • Don't apply liquid, ointment, or creams to the wound while the tape or skin glue is in place. These products can loosen the tape or dissolve the glue. Don't clean the wound with peroxide.

  • Don't do activities that cause heavy sweating until the tape or skin glue has fallen off. Protect the wound from prolonged sunlight or tanning lamps.

  • Stay away from scrubbing, soaking, or exposure to prolonged wetness, such as tub baths or swimming. Follow your provider's instructions about showering. If surgical tape was used, you may have to keep the wound dry in the shower.

• Your provider may prescribe an antibiotic cream, ointment, or antibiotic pills. Don't stop using this medicine until you have finished the prescribed course or your provider tells you to stop. They may also prescribe medicines for pain. Follow your provider's instructions for taking these medicines. Talk with them before taking these medicines if you have liver or kidney disease or are taking blood thinners. Also talk with them if you've had an ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Follow-up care

Follow up with your health care provider as advised. Most skin wounds heal in 5 to 10 days. But your wound may get infected despite correct treatment. Check the wound daily for the signs of infection listed below. Stitches or staples should be removed in 7 to 14 days or as advised. If surgical tape closures were used, you may be told to remove them yourself after 10 days, if they haven't fallen off by then. If skin glue was used, it should fall off by itself in 5 to 10 days. If it does not fall off after 5 to 10 days, use an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to loosen it. Then gently peel it off.

Call 911

Call 911 if you have:

• Shortness of breath or painful breathing.

• Back or belly (abdomen) pain that gets worse.

• Blood in the stool or urine.

• Weakness, dizziness, or fainting.

• Bleeding not controlled by direct pressure.

When to get medical care

Contact your health care provider right away if you have:

• Signs of infection, including increasing pain in the wound, redness, swelling, or pus coming from the wound.

• A fever of 100.4ºF (38ºC) or higher, or as advised by your provider.

• Chills.

• Stitches or staples that come apart or fall out before your next appointment.

• Surgical tape or glue that falls off before 7 days, or wound edges that reopen.