Stitches

Whats the best way to remove nylon stitches from a wound?

Got 3 stitches topside of first finger between hand and first knuckle. I am going away to remote parts and would love a nurses opinion on how best to remove them myself. i know about keeping equipment sterile so mainly looking for technique hints . p.s. not allowed any sedatives or even beer! so be kind ;) Thanks.

Public Comments

1. very carefull with a rasor blade its easy make sure it a new one just cut the stitch then pull it out i never go back for them out or my grandkids always take them out that way
2. fingernail clipper , tweezers and peroxide , if you need a sedative you just a sissy
3. Normally, very sharp scissors which are thin and small enough to get under the stitches without hurting you.
4. Snip one side of knot then grab knot with pair pliers and tug. If you wash your hands in warm water first to soften then it is not sore in the slightest. Its more of an itchy feeling. You need to make sure they are ready to come out and the wound is closed properly.
5. Can't you go to your practise nurse and explain the situation, if they have been in long enough then she may be able to remove the stitches and apply steri- strips[butterfly stitches] instead, These can come off by in about four or five days. failing that get a scalpel and sterilise it and gently ;loosen and cut the knot, the stitches should then be easy to pull out, do it very gently though and don't force them out
6. Get a pair of tweezers, grab the knot and pull up to expose the part of the suture that was just below the skin. This is clean and this is where you cut. Of course, as you know, you cut with something clean. Then just pull the suture out. Sutures typically come out 7 to 10 days after going in.
7. it's pretty easy to remove them yourself- cut the cord and pull themself yourself- it's surprisingly painless.
8. Go to your Gp's surgery and see the practice nurse he/she will advise you how to remove the stitches and should give you a sterile scissors to take them out. You don't need sedation as it does not hurt (much)
9. SHARP SCISSORS
10. oooooh that scares me. if the stitches are too tight you may need to get a doctor to pull em out. i had a crappy doctor sew mine too tight. good luck! it hurts me thinking of it!
11. I use a fingernail clipper. If you have a pointy scissors that will work as well. I will be basicly healed up by the time the stitches come out so sanitation is less of a concern. by the way pull the stitch out on the knot side. It hurts pulling the knot through the skin
12. I had 5 stitches on my thumb a few years ago and removed the stitches myself. Put petroleum jelly on your stitches to moisten the skin back up. Leave it for a good 20 minutes to an hour ( depending on how dry your skin and stitches are ) Wash this off with a god anit-bacterial soap. Snip the knot off the end of the stitches and gently use tweezers to un-stitch them one at a time. They loop over the skin and once you figure out which way they loop you can pull them one loop at a time with no problems. I tried this without first moistening up my skin an all it did was make me sore and left me bleeding.
13. First off....DON'T use a razor blade. You'll just cut yourself. Take hydrogen peroxide or alcohol and pour over the area prior to removing the stitches. Wait for it to dry if you use alcohol and wait for it to stop foaming if you use peroxide. Then use a pair of tweezers (sterilized) to grab the knot on the top of the stitch and pull it upwards till you have a small gap in the stitch. then use the very small curved fingernail type scissors (steilized) to snip the stitch below the knot , you can then just pull on the tweezer end and the stitch will come out.
14. If you can, you should get somebody who knows what he's doing to remove the sutures. If you have no other alternative, the sutures form a loop (try to imagine in cross-section), so you need only to clip on either side of the knot to remove them, but it's best to clip as close to the skin as possible so as not to track the portion that's been open to the world through the wound channel when you pull through. If they're simple sutures, they'll pull through easily enough. If they're mattress sutures or some such, the technique and level of difficulty will be altered.
15. It really would be best if you can get a nurse to remove as the wound should be assessed for healing and signs of possible infection. Plus, sutures should be removed in such a way that the stitch above the skin should not be dragged beneath the skin due to the risk of contamination. Sutures are usually left in for 7-10 days and if you really cannot see a nurse just before you go on your trip, you will have to play nurse!!! Basically wash hands, use a sterile blade or scissors to snip beneath the suture. You may need to use tweezors to pull out the stitch. Be sure to remove ALL of the suture. Observe for signs of infection....swelling, heat, redness, pain, nasty gunge coming out. Good luck!
16. I took a small pair of scissors, like the size you would use for nose hair or something, and snip at the most accessive side and slowly pull the tied side with tweezers. Afterwards, put peroxide on it.
17. I AM a nurse. Stop being such a muppet, and get them removed by a doctor or nurse.
18. It is a painless procedure to slip either a knife or sharp scissors under the stitch, cut through it and then pull the stitch out. It does not involve breaking the skin, so the procedure can be 'clean' rather than sterile.
19. beer or sedative!! i take stitches out of hands all the time, you shouldn't evn feel it. as someone above said just cut to the side of the knot, grab the knot with some tweezers (or your teeth) and pull. won't feel a thing. remember to wait 10-14 days after they were put it though
20. i'm not a nurse, but i've had stitches removed, they hurt like hell, i wouldn't want to do it myself, also when they were removed the wound hadn't closed properly.