I had a mommy makeover 2 weeks ago. I was supposed to get my stitches out (FTT/BA/BL) today, but due to taking too long and waiting 1.5 hours, I had to leave and reschedule the soonest 5 days from today. Should I be concerned? My PS doesn't seem concerned, but I've read some of the docs mention railroad track scarring.
January 23, 2018
Answer: Timing of sutures removal Most plastic surgery closure are done with sutures that run underneath the skin. The majority of surgeons use sutures that are self absorbing and do not require removal. Some use a running suture underneath that is pulled out from a point at the end the the incision. These are okay to leave for weeks. If sutures are placed where you see the knot or running baseball stitch, these will leave suture marks if they are not removed in 5-6 days. Your surgeon most likely did not use that type of closure.
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January 23, 2018
Answer: Timing of sutures removal Most plastic surgery closure are done with sutures that run underneath the skin. The majority of surgeons use sutures that are self absorbing and do not require removal. Some use a running suture underneath that is pulled out from a point at the end the the incision. These are okay to leave for weeks. If sutures are placed where you see the knot or running baseball stitch, these will leave suture marks if they are not removed in 5-6 days. Your surgeon most likely did not use that type of closure.
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December 19, 2017
Answer: Stitch removal I would not wait another 5 days to have your stitches removed as they can leave permanent marks on your skin. 2 weeks is more than adequate for most wounds to have healed and so the stitches should be removed at that point.
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December 19, 2017
Answer: Stitch removal I would not wait another 5 days to have your stitches removed as they can leave permanent marks on your skin. 2 weeks is more than adequate for most wounds to have healed and so the stitches should be removed at that point.
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February 7, 2017
Answer: Suture removal following mommy makeover Leaving permanent (removable) sutures in place for too long can indeed lead to a less ideal scar, with some degree of the "railroad tracks" that you mentioned. That said, 5 additional days will likely not make a tremendous difference. With my patients, I try to avoid this issue entirely by closing all tummy tuck and cosmetic breast incisions with dissolvable sutures that are beneath the surface of the skin.
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February 7, 2017
Answer: Suture removal following mommy makeover Leaving permanent (removable) sutures in place for too long can indeed lead to a less ideal scar, with some degree of the "railroad tracks" that you mentioned. That said, 5 additional days will likely not make a tremendous difference. With my patients, I try to avoid this issue entirely by closing all tummy tuck and cosmetic breast incisions with dissolvable sutures that are beneath the surface of the skin.
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