Postop wound care

Surgical wounds should be carefully dressed with the dressing left in place for at least 24-48 hours after the surgery. At that time, make sure your hands are cleaned thoroughly before touching the wound. Also, wash your hands after cleaning and applying a new dressing.

Once your hands are clean, remove the dressing carefully and wash thoroughly with a mild soap product and water. You can also use a saline solution if your doctor approves this for your wound. It's important not to douse the wound with water when rinsing the soap or solution off. Never scrub the wound site. Make sure to remove any dried blood or dirt around the wound as well. Allow the wound to air dry or pat gently with a clean cloth.

After cleaning affected area, you may apply an ointment (if recommended for the specific location of your wound)thoroughly to the wound and then place a new dressing on it.

Your surgeon will suggest what type of ointment to apply. For most wounds it is important to keep the wound moist for proper healing and to avoid scarring.

Do not take a bath until approximately one week after the sutures are removed. Unless specifically told not to, showers are usually ok. Avoid direct water pressure from the shower on to the wound.

When showering you may need to cover the bandage with a plastic bag or use other means to keep it dry.

After surgery, the wound will sometimes bleed. If this is the case, be sure to apply pressure to the wound site to stop the bleeding. If the wound continues to bleed after applying pressure, contact the doctor's office.

Try to limit movement of the surgical site for several weeks after surgery to avoid the risk of pulling the skin/cut apart. The skin is much weaker during the healing process. Check with your doctor as to when you are able to resume normal activity and clearly define what you want to do, "normal" is not the same for everyone.

If you see redness(erythema) or swelling(oedema) around the wound area during the healing process, this may mean a sign of infection, as well as pus or excessive draining. Other signs of infection may include fever or a bad smell coming from the wound site. Be sure to contact the physician if this occurs as well.

You should not experience a lot of pain, however, you can take an over-the-counter medication if needed. If you are experiencing a large amount of pain, call the physician's office.

If sutures are present, they will be removed by the doctor at a later time by appointment.

If you have any questions or doubts, do not guess, ring your surgeon's office.

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