Stitches

Is 3-4 days to little time to keep stitches in?

I had stitches on my finger on Saturday morning (3rd May) and the doctor told me Tuesday to get them out, but I can't remember if it was this tuesday or next. On the paper given to me it says 'Please remove sutures in: 7/7'

Public Comments

1. 3-4 days is usually long enough for most wounds but it depends on the nature of yours if it was more that 3cm in length and more that 10mm deep (serious wound basically) then 3-4 days is not long enough but if yours was a cut by a knife then 3-4 days is plenty time, if you are worried then consult a GP and they will tell you when they should be removed.
2. That means 7 days, however Sunday to Tuesday isn't 7 days! The length of time that sutures must remain in varies with the location of the laceration and proximity to joints, the amount of wound tension, your age, medical condition and current medications, however 3-4 days is usually considered too short for a finger laceration. 7-10 days would be considered acceptable, however, I recommend you contact your doctor to double check.
3. If you were my patient, I wouldn't take out sutures on a finger until at least a week had passed. Otherwise, the wound might pop open again and those kinds of scars look much worse than if you were to leave it for the designated amount of time. Alternately, if you choose to have them removed sooner, you can request that they use Steri-Strips with adhesive to keep them in place. That will keep the wound closed and prevent the edges of the defect from spreading apart as it heals further.