Accidents can happen at any time of the night and day. And if you or your child gets hurt, some wounds may be too big to heal on their own and you may need to visit the emergency care unit in order to get simple sutures that will help speed up the healing process. Suturing a wound can make a huge difference to the healing process since it helps to stop the bleeding and allows the skin to grow back and cover the wounded area. Sutures and staples are also used after surgical procedures in order to heal the incisions.
Types of Healing Techniques
Sutures and Stitches: Even though the two terms sound the same, they both have a slightly different meaning. Sutures are the materials that are used by doctors when closing the wound while ‘stitches’ refer to the actual procedure of closing the wound. Some strings are soluble while some strings do not dissolve naturally. Soluble string can be made from various materials including parts of animals. Non-soluble materials can be made from nylon, silk, etc. Non-soluble stitches are often used for wounds that may require more time to heal and in cases where there is a risk of the string reacting with certain kinds of chemicals.
Staples: Staples are often made from stainless steel or titanium. These staples are usually used in cases when it is difficult to suture the wounded area. These difficult areas can be clamped together with the help of a staple. Staples come in different shapes and round staples are often used to stitch two organs together. Stapling is more convenient when there are two people to do the job since it requires one person to hold the skin together while the other staples the area. Staples can also be easily removed with a remover tool.
Tips for Recovery
If you are recovering from a wound that has been sutured or stapled, you should keep a check on the stitches and make sure they come out at the appropriate time so that the wound has time to heal properly but the stitches have not been kept for too long so as to leave a scar. On an average, stitches on the face remain for four or five days, stitches on the stomach usually last for about a week and stitches on the back take about two weeks.
Different doctors will have different styles of closing up a wound. Even if they suture the wound, it is likely that they will use a different kind of stitch from another doctor. As long as the wound heals properly, there is no need to worry.