Ask The Doctor

Dear Ask The Doctor: I have a cut on the inside of my lower left arm. it's smallish and sort of gaping open slightly. it's hard to pull together but you can see fat clearly. does it need stitches?

Dear Kim: Whether a wound needs stitches (sutures) is determined by the depth of the wound. A wound is stitched(sutured) to decrease healing time, improve cosmetic outcome and prevent infection. Ideally, a laceration should be cleaned and sutured within 24 hrs of injury. After this time there is an increased risk of the wound being contaminated so most physicians will do a delayed closure if more than 24hrs have elapsed. A delayed closure occurs when the wound is cleaned and dressed for a few days and monitored for signs of infection. If no signs of infection occur then the wound is sutured. The sutures used are non-absorbable and will need to be removed after about 5 days.