My Ps Told Me to Take my Steri Strips off but They Are Stuck to my Skin. How Do I Get Them Off?

Steristrips can be easily removed by applying luke warm
water while in the shower. In most cases, steristrips loosen on their own and
are easily removed. Rarely they become adherent to the underlying skin. When
this happens it’s important to be patient. Eventually the edges start to lift
and they can be easily removed.

You might want to try getting the steristrips wet with warm water in the shower. You also might try moistening a hand towel with warm water and laying the towel on the strips for a few minutes.

Thank you for your question. I understand that you are concerned about hurting your incision.  This is unlikely,  For your comfort, it is best to wet the strips in a warm shower.  This should loosen them and any dried blood on the incision causing them to stick.  Going forward, keep you incision clean and dry. Apply antibiotic ointment to any open areas and cover with a bandaid.  There is no harm in leaving them on to fall off on their own or to return to the office to have them removed by a nurse. Best wishes.

If you are permitted to shower, allow the water to gently moisten and warm the steri-strips.  They will come up easily at that point.

Baby oil can soften the glue that causes the steri strips to stick. Rub on the baby oil, let it sit for a few minutes, then give it a try.  Another alternative already mentioned is to use warm water in the shower.

        Steristrips will usually come off in the shower, but they can be quite resilient.  Do not force them off.  If you cannot get in touch with your doctor's office during the holidays, do not worry.  Whether these fall off today or three days later matters little. 

In general, it is easier to take the steri-strips off when they are wet, such as after a shower. Some surgeons apply an adhesive to the skin before applying the steri-strips, which helps them stick and stay on longer. You can use an adhesive remover (from your plastic surgeons office) on your skin, starting at one end of the steristrip and applying to the skin as you peel the tape back. If you are having difficulty removing the steri-strips even when wet or with adhesive remover, ask your surgeon to help you remove them.

While you take a shower, let the warm water moisten them. This will help make it easier to remove. Near the end of your shower, you can then try to take them off carefully.

Usually if you moisten them in the shower, they will come off more easily.

Otherwise there is little chance of harm to leave them until they fall off on their own.

Best wishes. 

If the steri-strips do not pull off easily, there are several maneuvers you may try at home.  Soaking them with soap and water in the bath or shower may help to loosen them.   If this does not work you may try rubbing alcohol, but I would only do this under the advisement of your plastic surgeon since your wound needs to be sufficiently healed.  When I remove steri-strips in my office, I typically use a product called Detachol (Ferndale Laboratories) which is a medical grade adhesive remover.  I have found that use of this product allows the steri-strips to peel off with ease.  Good luck!