Just Had Surgery? Here"s How to Care for Your Incision
Proper Care of a Surgical Incision
Updated May 29, 2014.
Surgical incisions require care in order to heal quickly and completely without becoming infected. Closed surgical incisions require the same care whether they were closed with sutures, staples, steri-strips or surgical glue. Open incisions, or incisions that are left open for the surgeon to close at a later time, require very different care from the standard closed incision.
If you have had surgery and your incision is still healing, plan on showering at least once a day if you are able.
A shower is an ideal way to clean your incision and remove soap residue without softening the incision to the point of weakness. If you cannot shower, it is best to take a “sponge bath” rather than bathe for the first few weeks if you cannot bathe without soaking your incision for an extended period of time.
When Can I Take a Bath and Swim?
Cleaning Your Surgical Incision
Updated May 29, 2014.
Hand Washing- Good hand washing technique, using warm water and soap, should take no less than 30 seconds. A quick wash under the water is not adequate to protect your wound from infection. Hand washing should be done before touching your incision, before changing the dressing on your incision if you have one, after using the restroom and before showering.
Soap-A gentle antibacterial soap is ideal for someone healing from surgery to help prevent infection.
Liquid soap may be easier to use, as it can be easily applied without a washcloth. Be sure to rinse your incision well to make sure no soap residue remains after showering.
Showering-Take care not to scrub your incision when you are in the shower. Applying a small amount of soap and rinsing it well should be adequate. Take care not to scrub the incision, which may remove scabs, slow healing and irritate the incision. While it is safe to take a regular shower, it is important not to allow the incision to be wet so long that it puckers (how your fingers do after a bath or a swim) and softens.
If your wound was closed with steri-strips or surgical glue do not scrub or use a washcloth on it. They may appear dirty, which is normal, but they should be allowed to remain in place until they fall off on their own. Scrubbing can cause them to fall off, leaving your incision vulnerable to opening when it should be closing.
When you are finished with your shower, gently pat your incision and allow to air dry completely before covering with a bandage or clothing.
Inspecting Your Surgical Incision
Updated May 29, 2014.
You should plan to inspect your incision daily until it closes completely and your surgeon indicates that you have finished healing from your surgery.
How To Inspect Your Incision:
When you finish with your shower, take the time to pat your incision dry or allow it to air dry. Some redness along the incision line is normal and should diminish as the incision heals. Increasing redness, especially if the incision feels warm, can indicate the beginnings of an infection.
Drainage from the wound may also indicate an infection. In the first few days after surgery there may be a very small amount of clear fluid that leaks from the incision, but bloody, green/yellow, chunky, thick or white pus or drainage usually indicates infection and should be reported to your surgeon.
A healthy incision will be well-approximated, meaning that the edges meet neatly and closely. Gaps in your incision should be reported to your surgeon.
Updated May 29, 2014.
Bracing Your Incision-Incisions, especially abdominal incisions, cause a weakness in the skin. So while a cough, sneeze, lifting objects and “bearing down” to have a bowel movement may be normal activities, they can cause problems after surgery. To prevent your incision from opening, a serious medical problem known as dehiscence, it is important to brace your incision.
In the first weeks after surgery, hold a pillow gently but firmly over your incision when you sneeze, cough or vomit.
This will help prevent pain and strengthen the incision temporarily to avoid tearing your stitches and having your incision gape open.
If you are feeling constipated after surgery it is important that you speak to your surgeon about the issue. Straining to have a bowel movement can also cause the incision to open. Bracing your incision when rising from a seated position to standing is also important to protect your incision.
Updated May 29, 2014.
Part of good incision care is preventing an injury to your incision. Here are two ways to avoid hurting your surgical wound:
Avoid lifting heavy objects– You should receive guidelines on how much you are permitted to lift after your surgery, but plan on avoiding lifting any object heavier than 5 pounds for the two weeks immediately following your procedure.
Avoid sunlight-Sunlight on your incision can increase the appearance of scars once your wound has healed.
It is also very painful to have a sunburn on a healing surgical incision.
Sources:
Post-op Instructions: Taking Care of Yourself After Your Operation. National Institutes of Health http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/postop.pdf
Updated May 29, 2014.
Surgical incisions require care in order to heal quickly and completely without becoming infected. Closed surgical incisions require the same care whether they were closed with sutures, staples, steri-strips or surgical glue. Open incisions, or incisions that are left open for the surgeon to close at a later time, require very different care from the standard closed incision.
If you have had surgery and your incision is still healing, plan on showering at least once a day if you are able.
A shower is an ideal way to clean your incision and remove soap residue without softening the incision to the point of weakness. If you cannot shower, it is best to take a “sponge bath” rather than bathe for the first few weeks if you cannot bathe without soaking your incision for an extended period of time.
When Can I Take a Bath and Swim?
Cleaning Your Surgical Incision
Updated May 29, 2014.
Hand Washing- Good hand washing technique, using warm water and soap, should take no less than 30 seconds. A quick wash under the water is not adequate to protect your wound from infection. Hand washing should be done before touching your incision, before changing the dressing on your incision if you have one, after using the restroom and before showering.
Soap-A gentle antibacterial soap is ideal for someone healing from surgery to help prevent infection.
Liquid soap may be easier to use, as it can be easily applied without a washcloth. Be sure to rinse your incision well to make sure no soap residue remains after showering.
Showering-Take care not to scrub your incision when you are in the shower. Applying a small amount of soap and rinsing it well should be adequate. Take care not to scrub the incision, which may remove scabs, slow healing and irritate the incision. While it is safe to take a regular shower, it is important not to allow the incision to be wet so long that it puckers (how your fingers do after a bath or a swim) and softens.
If your wound was closed with steri-strips or surgical glue do not scrub or use a washcloth on it. They may appear dirty, which is normal, but they should be allowed to remain in place until they fall off on their own. Scrubbing can cause them to fall off, leaving your incision vulnerable to opening when it should be closing.
When you are finished with your shower, gently pat your incision and allow to air dry completely before covering with a bandage or clothing.
Inspecting Your Surgical Incision
Updated May 29, 2014.
You should plan to inspect your incision daily until it closes completely and your surgeon indicates that you have finished healing from your surgery.
How To Inspect Your Incision:
When you finish with your shower, take the time to pat your incision dry or allow it to air dry. Some redness along the incision line is normal and should diminish as the incision heals. Increasing redness, especially if the incision feels warm, can indicate the beginnings of an infection.
Drainage from the wound may also indicate an infection. In the first few days after surgery there may be a very small amount of clear fluid that leaks from the incision, but bloody, green/yellow, chunky, thick or white pus or drainage usually indicates infection and should be reported to your surgeon.
A healthy incision will be well-approximated, meaning that the edges meet neatly and closely. Gaps in your incision should be reported to your surgeon.
Updated May 29, 2014.
Bracing Your Incision-Incisions, especially abdominal incisions, cause a weakness in the skin. So while a cough, sneeze, lifting objects and “bearing down” to have a bowel movement may be normal activities, they can cause problems after surgery. To prevent your incision from opening, a serious medical problem known as dehiscence, it is important to brace your incision.
In the first weeks after surgery, hold a pillow gently but firmly over your incision when you sneeze, cough or vomit.
This will help prevent pain and strengthen the incision temporarily to avoid tearing your stitches and having your incision gape open.
If you are feeling constipated after surgery it is important that you speak to your surgeon about the issue. Straining to have a bowel movement can also cause the incision to open. Bracing your incision when rising from a seated position to standing is also important to protect your incision.
Updated May 29, 2014.
Part of good incision care is preventing an injury to your incision. Here are two ways to avoid hurting your surgical wound:
Avoid lifting heavy objects– You should receive guidelines on how much you are permitted to lift after your surgery, but plan on avoiding lifting any object heavier than 5 pounds for the two weeks immediately following your procedure.
Avoid sunlight-Sunlight on your incision can increase the appearance of scars once your wound has healed.
It is also very painful to have a sunburn on a healing surgical incision.
Sources:
Post-op Instructions: Taking Care of Yourself After Your Operation. National Institutes of Health http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/postop.pdf
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