Skin cut - caring for stitches; Skin cut - suture care; Skin cut - caring for staples
A laceration is technically a defect in the skin resulting from tearing, stretching, or shearing forces, such as those seen in blunt trauma. In practice however, the term is often used for any cut that goes all the way through the skin. A small cut can be cared for at home. A large cut needs prompt medical attention.
If the cut is large, it may need stitches or staples to close the wound and stop the bleeding.
It is important to take care of the injury site after your health care provider applies the stitches. This helps prevent infection and allows the wound to heal properly.
Stitches are special threads that are sewn through the skin at an injury site to bring a wound together. Care for your stitches and wound as follows:
Medical staples are made of special metal and are not the same as office staples. Care for your staples and wound as follows:
Keep the following in mind:
Contact your provider right away if:
Beard JM, Osborn J. Common office procedures. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 28.
Lammers RL, Scrimshaw LE. Methods of wound closure: In: Roberts JR, Custalow CB, Thomsen TW, eds. Roberts and Hedges' Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 35.
Simon BC, Hern HG. Wound management principles. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 50.
BACK TO TOPReview Date: 1/30/2024
Reviewed By: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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06/01/2025
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