How Long Until Plastic Surgery Stitches Dissolve?

Sutures on the upper eyelid are generally fairly thin and only a handful of stitches are used in this area that are absorbable.  Some dissolve as soon as 10 days and others can take as long as 4 weeks.  After a week, you can visit with your surgeon and he should be able to remove them if they are still in place.

Great question. Typically these sutures dissolve within the first 2 weeks after surgery, but it also depends on what type of suture was used. Some sutures can last longer (4-6 weeks), though this is less common. You can use the ophthalmic ointment that was likely provided for you after surgery which can slightly shorten the time for these to dissolve. It seems less likely in this situation, but sometimes your surgeon will use non-dissolvable sutures which need to be removed. This are typically a different color (blue or black) than the dissolvable sutures which are often clear or brown/yellow.
Hope this helps!Kyle Kimura, MDFacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

It depends what kind of absorbable sutures your surgeon used, and the best person to answer this question would be your surgeon. I have used many different types of sutures over the years but have come to the conclusion that for upper-eyelid blepharoplasty surgery, a non-absorbable 6.0 teflon-coated prolene produces the best result. It’s thinner than a human hair and I remove it after 8 days. Many of my patients heal without any trace of the incision, which is the goal. Absorbable sutures are also commonly used, but I have found that they can sometimes cause inflammation in certain patients, and the scar can be larger and might take longer to heal. Please follow up with your original surgeon to discuss what sutures were used, how long you can expect them to remain in place until they dissolve, and what further postop care is needed.

Hello,

When dissolvable stitches are used on the eyelid skin, they typically and ideally dissolve around 7-10 days, as the eyelids heal rather quickly. Depending on how much they are exposed to water, rubbing and ointment, the time frame varies somewhat (more exposure, earlier they dissolve).
If the stitches are not yet dissolved by 7-10 days, it's best to remove them to avoid irritation or permanent marks on the skin.

Warm regards,

Dr. Pedy Ganchi
Village Plastic Surgery

Many people use non-dissolving sutures for eyelid surgery, that need to be removed 5-7 days later. If they are dissolving then they should fall out in 7-10 days - if they haven't return to your surgeon to have them removed

Sutures are either non-absorbable which means then need to be removed or absorbable which means your body breaks them down and they do not need to be removed.  For eyelid surgery I generally use non-absorbable sutures as these tend to cause less skin irritation, and remove them between 5-7 days depending on the treatment.  The length of time for adsorbable sutures to break down depends on the suture as there are different sizes and types of suture.  Generally, the suture a surgeon would use for an eyelid incision should dissolve within a week.  I would check in with your surgeon what suture was used.  If it does not dissolve in the appropriate time, the suture can be removed int he office.