You’re chopping food for dinner and slice yourself by accident. Or maybe your child gets gashed while playing on gravel. It looks like it might be serious.
First of all, if it’s an emergency, call 911. Some signs that it’s an emergency are when the injury:
- Bleeds excessively
- Spurts blood
- Does not stop bleeding after 10 minutes of firm pressure
- Is to the chest, abdomen, pelvis, or neck
- Happens along with any emergency symptoms: severe pain, fast breathing or trouble breathing, vomiting, dizziness, unconsciousness
- Is to the eye or in the throat. If something is stuck in those areas, leave it in place. Keep the person calm.
If the injury is not an emergency, but is worse than a simple scrape or scratch, you may not be sure what to do. Here's how to know if you need stitches.
What Are Stitches?
Stitches in your skin are like those in your clothes -- a run of thread that holds things together. They’re made from lots of different materials, such as nylon or silk. And some, like the ones used for mouth injuries, dissolve on their own.
When you need them, stitches are important because they:
- Give your skin support and strength while it heals
- Lower your chances of bleeding and infection
- Minimize scars
Depending on the injury, you might get staples or liquid stitches instead.
How Do I Know If I Need Stitches?
From the size of the wound to its location, there are a lot of signs that you need stitches or at least to have a doctor check things out.
Size of the wound
You’ll want to see a doctor if the wound:
- Looks very deep (a quarter inch or more), even if it’s not especially long or wide
- Cuts to fat, bone, or muscle
- Is caused by a crushing type of injury
- Is more than three-fourths of an inch long
- Opens so wide that you can’t close edges together with just a little pressure
- Has ragged edges
- Has debris in it such as dirt, glass, or gravel
Extent of bleeding
You’ll likely need stitches if the wound:
- Bleeds enough to soak through a bandage
- Keeps bleeding even after you apply direct pressure for 5 to 15 minutes
- Spurts blood
Cause of the wound
Get care right away if the wound is from an:
- Animal or human bite
- Dirty or rusty object
- Pointed object that might have driven deep into the skin, especially if the wound happened through the bottom of a shoe -- stepping on a nail, for example
For some wounds, you may need a tetanus shot or antibiotics as well as stitches. Tetanus is one of the standard shots for children. Adults need a booster every 10 years.
Location of the wound
See your doctor if the wound is on any of these areas:
Cosmetic reasons
You may want to get stitches for wounds on your face and other highly visible places, even if they aren’t deep or severe. This will help the wound heal so it causes less scarring.
Signs of an infection
You’ll need a doctor if you have any signs of infection:
- Chills or fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- Red streaks near the wound
- Skin gets redder or more painful
- Sore is warm, swollen, or oozing pus
- Feeling like you’re going to throw up
Before You Go to the Doctor
If you do need stitches, here are a few tips before you head to the doctor.
Leave it in. If you have an object, such as a nail, stuck through your skin, leave it there. It may keep the bleeding from getting worse. But if the object that caused the puncture is small and you can easily remove it, do so.
Don’t eat or drink. This one’s mostly for kids. They may need medicine to keep them calm so the doctor can put stitches in. If they’ve had anything to eat or drink, they may have to wait longer for treatment.
Apply pressure. Use a clean towel or bandage to apply direct pressure to the wound. Try to keep the injured area raised above the heart to help stop or slow bleeding. If blood soaks through, don’t remove the old bandage. Just put another one right on top of it.
Clean the wound. If you can, clean the injury. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide or iodine – both can irritate your wound. Also, avoid scrubbing. Instead, you can:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Run tap water over the wound to clean it. Then wash the area with mild soap and water and rinse again.
- Pat dry the injured area with a clean towel. Avoid anything fluffy that might stick to the wound, such as cotton balls.
- Apply an antibiotic cream.
- Put a clean bandage over it to protect the wound from dirt or further injury.
Treat the pain. For pain, give acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Check with the doctor first, though, if you have any medical conditions or take any other medicines.
How Long Do Stitches Take to Heal?
Some stitches dissolve and don’t need to be removed. Others require another trip to the doctor. How long you wait before getting stitches removed depends on how bad the cut is and where it’s located. Usually, it’s between 5 and 14 days.
Your doctor will let you know if and when your stitches should be removed. When it’s time, your doctor will remove the stitches for you. They’ll do this by snipping the knot at the end of the string and gently pulling it out.
In the meantime, it’s important to care for your stitches. Keep them clean and dry for 48 hours (or longer, if they’re dissolvable). After that, you can clean the injury with soap and water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Until you get your stitches removed, change the bandage each day. If your doctor has given you antibiotic ointment, don’t forget to use it.
Can You Stitch Wounds at Home?
Don’t try to give yourself stitches at home. This could lead to an infection, which could slow down the healing process or even have life-threatening complications. If you have a large or deep cut, call a doctor right away. They have been trained to do stitches in a way that minimizes the risk for infection.
Takeaways
If you get a bad cut, stitches can help hold the edges together so it can heal. In general, you may need stitches if the cut is more than one-fourth of an inch deep or three-fourths of an inch long. If you think you might need stitches, call your doctor right away or go to urgent care.
FAQs on How to Know If You Need Stitches
Are stitches painful?
The doctor can give you a local anesthetic to numb the pain. This means that getting stitches shouldn’t hurt.
What is the medical term for stitches?
You might hear stitches called “sutures.”
How are stitches done?
A doctor uses a needle and string to pull the edges of the wound together. They tie a knot at the end of the string to hold the stitches in place.
What is the purpose of stitches?
Stitches hold the edges of deep cuts together so they can heal.
Do I need stitches for a puncture wound?
Deep puncture wounds should not get stitches.
Do you need stitches if the cut stops bleeding?
If a cut stops bleeding after putting pressure on it for 5 minutes, it probably doesn’t need stitches.
Do puncture wounds need surgery?
Treatment for puncture wounds depends on where the injury is, how big it is, and any special concerns.
