Suture Abscess--dig It out or Leave It Alone?

asked 7 months ago by room2improve
Latest answer by Charles Virden, MD
Question viewed 518 times
Tags: 1 month post-op, abscess, bump, options

I am 4 weeks post FTT. At my day 5 doctor visit, we noticed a red bump at the top of the incision. I figured it was a stitch coming out, and the nurse tried to coax it out w/ sharp tweezers, but nothing came of it. Yesterday while massaging the incision, I realized that the bump was no longer red and was just skin colored, and underneath it feel like a small pebble. The PS nurse said it would go away by itself eventually or I can try to get it dug out again. No infection. What should I do?

8 answers to Suture Abscess--dig It out or Leave It Alone?

Does a stitch need to be removed from a tummy tuck

Dissolving sutures will dissolve sutures that are permanent may work their way to the surface like a splinter but they can be removed if troublesome

Jed H. Horowitz, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Most stitch abscesses will fix themselves with topical wound care.

Most abdominoplasties are performed with the placement of many buried sutures. The body disposes of these sutures over time by an inflammatory reaction. Occasionally this may be intense and mimic a small localized infection (usually it is sterile, however). The body will "push" the suture to the skin and expel it over time, call necessitating.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Treatment of Suture Abscess?

Thank you for the question. It is difficult to give you good advice without direct examination. I would suggest that you make sure your operating plastic surgeon sees the area ( not just the “PS nurse"). If the area is truly related to a stitch, then either modality of treatment will work. Usually, the stitch will come to the surface and be removed easily. Generally, there is no need to “dig it out”. Again, your plastic surgeon is in the best... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Spitting suture in Reno

I'm almost sure your surgeon would have used a dissolving suture. I have seen some surgeons use a deep permanent suture. If its coming to the surface it will likely spot, in that case it's easy to numb the area and remove the suture. Either way this is not a serious issue. You should not try to dig it out.

Charles Virden, MD
Reno Plastic Surgeon

www.virdenmd.com

Suture abscess

Either option is acceptable and you may see more of this over the first 3-4 months after surgery. Follow up with your plastic surgeon

Michael Hueneke, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Dealing with sutures deep to the skin

From the information that you provided, it appears that your doctor's office is providing you with the correct information. If a suture is coming through the skin and possibly causing inflammation, it should be removed. If it is situated right below the skin, causing no inflammation or any symptoms and is dissolvable, there is really no reason to remove it - it will disappear on its own over time. This sounds like your situation. A permanent deep suture poking into the skin (which... more

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

www.turkeltaub.com

Spitting stitch after abdominoplasty

If you have what's called a spitting stitch, which is coming up to the surface of the wound, it will work itself out and can then be removed easily. However, if you had a buried stitch, such as Prolene, that had caused a true wound abscess, it would require opening the wound and removing the suture material. If there is any question, you should be seen by your plastic surgeon and not by the nurse.

Robert L. Kraft, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Leave it

This is a deep suture that will absorb. It is not uncommon for them to spit out and cause inflamation in the process. Listen to your plastic surgeon. see video