Wound Care Advice - excision

Post procedure advice

Care of your Wound

•             WATER TIGHT DRESSINGS can handle a light shower but not a bath or a swim.

•             WATER TIGHT DRESSINGS MUST BE TAKEN OFF AFTER 3-5 DAYS

•             BREATHABLE DRESSINGS can be removed after 3 days if the wound is dry. After removal of the dressing a dry wound can be gently showered and dried e.g. with a hair dryer. You may need to redress the wound after this to stop dirt and fluff getting on the wound.

•              If a dressing becomes damp from water, sweat or wound ooze take the dressing down, gently swab it with normal saline or salty water on gauze, allow it to dry and then redress it.

•              There is no benefit to using Betadine or Savlon etc – these products may delay healing

•              Minimize movement of the affected area, even after the sutures are removed.

Pain

•              It is normal to have a small amount of pain for up to 24 hrs after the operation, when applying pressure to the wound site or on movement/stretching of the wound site. Paracetamol should be able to be control this normal/expected pain.

•               Avoiding movements which trigger pain will also reduce the risk of the wound tearing.

•             If the wound becomes increasingly painful, especially at rest or from the 3rd day after the operation, please contact us immediately as this is often the first sign of infection. If you have been given antibiotics in case of infection NOW is the time to take them.

•              Do not wait for the wound to become grossly infected e.g. red and swollen with purulent discharge – if you have any concerns please bring the wound for review straight away.

Bleeding

•              There may be a small amount of bleeding from you excision on the first day. This is NORMAL. Please do not disturb the dressing

•              If the bleeding is excessive (completely soils the dressing) or is persistent, apply firm steady pressure over the wound site (gauze squares or tissue are perfect for this) for 10 minutes and then check the wound to make sure the bleeding has stopped. If the bleeding has stopped change the dressing, otherwise call the surgery or your afterhours service provider. Keep applying pressure.

Aftercare

•              After the sutures have been removed, we recommend you apply “hypafix” or another strong tape across the wound to help support the healing skin as it will take 6 months for the wound to reach approximately 70% of its original strength. Applying tape in this manner for 3-6 months is ideal. “Hypafix” is allowed to get wet as it doesn’t absorb water.

•             If you cannot apply tape to the wound, it may be beneficial to massage Vaseline or a silicon based gel into the wound e.g. Avène Scar Gel or strataderm into the site 2-3 times daily for a 3 months.