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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Care Recommended And Prognosis When Stitches Are Administered?

Sir, I had a deep cut by glass in my lower lip 4 days ago and was rushed to the hospital and had to get 8 stitches. ts been 4 days and the skin around the stitches has turned black and purple and swelling is also there. MY question is: How long till the purple colour is gone? Will it persist even after getting stitches removed? Should I clean the area around stitches? If yes ,with what I am supposed to clean? How should I brush my teeth? Its really painful if I brush my teeth.
Mon, 7 Apr 2014
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello and welcome to health care magic forums.
Usually the skin around stitches will take 7 to 10 days to heal properly and the healing will be complete by 1 month, depending upon the site of injury, depth of the cut and infections if any.
Usually the doctor will give antibiotics for 5 days to accelerate healing and prevent infections.
The black colour will gradually fade and will disappear when healing is complete. It's not permanent.
But the stitch marks will persist for a long time. You haven't mentioned the exact site of the wound on your lower lips. If it involves the inner side of mouth, it's better to avoid brushing for a week. Instead apply tooth paste in your index finger and brush gently without causing much disturbance to the wound. You can use a good mouth wash twice a day to improve oral hygiene.

About dressing of the wound, it's recommended to go back to the hospital where the stitching is done, every alternative day, so that nurses will do the cleaning using Povidone Iodine.

Hope this discussion will be helpful to you. Have a great day
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What Is The Care Recommended And Prognosis When Stitches Are Administered?

Hello and welcome to health care magic forums. Usually the skin around stitches will take 7 to 10 days to heal properly and the healing will be complete by 1 month, depending upon the site of injury, depth of the cut and infections if any. Usually the doctor will give antibiotics for 5 days to accelerate healing and prevent infections. The black colour will gradually fade and will disappear when healing is complete. It s not permanent. But the stitch marks will persist for a long time. You haven t mentioned the exact site of the wound on your lower lips. If it involves the inner side of mouth, it s better to avoid brushing for a week. Instead apply tooth paste in your index finger and brush gently without causing much disturbance to the wound. You can use a good mouth wash twice a day to improve oral hygiene. About dressing of the wound, it s recommended to go back to the hospital where the stitching is done, every alternative day, so that nurses will do the cleaning using Povidone Iodine. Hope this discussion will be helpful to you. Have a great day