How Long Should Facial Stitches Be Left In?

While there is no absolute rule on when to remove stitches, generally facial sutures are removed by 5 to 7 days. If the incision has a lot of tension (is very tight), some surgeons will leave the sutures in longer. However, 12 days for suture removal may be a little long and runs the risk of leaving suture marks or "railroad track" scars. You should call your surgeon's office to have your concerns addressed.

As a general rule, sutures on the face should be removed in 5-7 days. In my opinion leaving sutures on the face in for twelve days is too long. By seven days the wound has developed approximately 8% the tensile strength of intact skin. This is strong enough (along with any buried absorbable sutures) so that the non-absorbable sutures (the ones you can see) can be safely removed. Factors that increase the risk of suture marks after surgery include closure tension on the wound, caliber of the suture material and duration that sutures are left in. Perhaps the plastic surgeon used a fast absorbing suture material (e.g. Fast Absorbing Gut) as the material placed through the skin. This material breaks down spontaneously and doesn't need to be removed. Best option is to contact the doctor, discuss your concerns and have a discussion about the subject.