The dissolving sutures which we use to close wounds are usually well tolerated, however patients don't come with a "user's manual", advising physicians which sutures to employ. Many physicians prefer to repair breast reduction scars in layers, using clear, colorless sutures, (Monocryl, PDS,... more
Stitches did not dissolve after Breast Reduction?
I had a Breast reduction May 19, 2009 and my doctor told me that he used dissolvable stitches. I assumed that by now being almost 8 weeks out that the clear stitches he used would have already dissolved.
I have several that are visible outside of the skin and one spot that is really red. It almost looks like how a pimple looks but it’s irritated and hurts because its embedded weirdly in my skin.
Today, I went to see my doctor and he removed the painful stitch and it felt much better. Now I noticed the pain is back again and I can feel another stitch in the same spot he removed it from earlier. It is kind of buried in the skin and in order to remove it you have to stick tweezers into the pimple looking wound. What do I do to make them dissolve?
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3 answers to “Stitches did not dissolve after...”
A: Failure of Sutures to Dissolve Following Breast Reduction
Slowly dissolving suture materials are a mixed blessing. They often require at least 90 days to dissolve and often longer. While it is somewhat frustrating when these sutures fail to dissolve, their use also often leads to a better ultimate scar. You might try massaging the scars with vitamin... more
A: These are probably PDS, Maxon or Monocryl
Hello, Long term dissolvable sutures have good points and bad points. They help control the width of scars making them stay thinner by taking some time to dissolve. This can be six months. The bad part is that some patient's bodies react to them like your seems to be and form little pus pockets sometimes... more
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