Stitches

What happens if stitches are never removed after surgery?

Im due to have my stitches taken out tomorrow. The surgical would is about 3 inches. I can only see the 2 end of the strong plastic stitches but it is VERY painful when I attempted to tug at the stitches. I want to know the risks involved if I dont have the stitches taken out at all. Anyone help? Its like the stitches are gelled to my skin/wound.

Public Comments

1. You will die if you dont have them taken out, simple as that. Edit My answer is deadly serious, you risk getting a serious infection and eventually you'll die. It doesnt hurt at all having them out, dont be such a baby!
2. I thought that that modern day stitches dissolve in time.
3. You can get infections. Don't worry about having them taken out it really doesn't hurt at all.
4. eewww I don't envy you! I would imagine they would probably end up getting infected. I mean where would they go? They'll probably just end up getting tighter and tighter and extremely uncomfortable. I'm no doctor though. Good luck tomorrow x
5. I got stitches pulled from my nose and it didn't hurt a bit, don't be scared just get them pulled out. It only takes 2 seconds... And I don't know what would happen if you didn't.
6. Gilly G is being stupid. I had a carpal tunnel op about a year ago. The skin around the sutures over-granulated and started covering the sutures. Don't mess around with them yourself you are asking for an infection. Wait till you go to the clinic for the nurse to remove the sutures. The worst she'll do is just nick the skin but you won't feel anything scar tissue has no nerve endings, it may bleed, but she/he will be able to see the knot of the suture and remove it. Leave well alone and wait till you get to hospital - if it excruciatingly painful go to your GP and see if the practice nurse can have a look at the wound. Edit: Some of the answers you have are ludicrous to the extreme. You have sutures that need removing that means they are either black silk, prolene or neurolon if they are black it is silk, if they are blue they are nylon prolene. You will get an infection if you mess with them yourself. Keep the area covered with a dry dressing and if necessary take some mild analgesia like aspirin if you are not pregnant or suffer from stomach ulcers, or paracetamol - taking into account you are in the UK. The nurses at the hospital in the dressing clinic have seen this type of situation a million times. Different people have different healing times. You are a good healer as am I, that is why the skin is growing over the suture know. When I went to get my sutures removed the only thing the nurse could see on one suture was the two ends of the knot. She cut these off and the knot is still in there buried under the skin. Suture material is sterile, your body will have cleaned the area itself. So stop worrying and let the nurse at the dressings clinic sort it out.
7. tell them when you go thats it hurts befor thay start takening them out thay will put some cream on if you asks thats stops you from feeling the pain and the tuging , dont worry your be ok , good luck,
8. the stiches you see are probably the ends if one long stich it may feel slightly uncomfortable if you don`t have them removed you will get an abcess and then that will be really painful
9. the skin will grow over them and might get an infection. just get them taken out.
10. They could get caught on something and cause an infection, sounds like the nylon type so they must come out, as your wound has healed They are knotted so a doctor or nurse must take them out, and check that you are healing OK, and write t up on your medical card The only time you do not need to do this is if they are soluble, in that case they dissolve
11. Don't fiddle yourself! Tugging at them won't help at all. The nurse or doctor will be able to take them out properly and while it might be uncomfortable for a moment that'll soon be over. Let the experts deal with it.
12. call the doctor and tall him about it .And see what you can do
13. The skins grows over them and it can get infected. It only takes a few seconds for them to get them out. I waited to get stitches taken out four days too late and my doctor said that I shouldn't do that again if I ever need stitches again.
14. they should dissolve in time... so it won't irritate... if not.. check it, it might be yarn..