Minor surgery after-care

Wound care after surgery

Wound dressings

• Keep your dressing on for 1 to 2 days.
• If we advise you to keep the dressing on for longer, replace the dressing if it gets wet or dirty. We may send you home with a spare dressing, or you can buy standard over-the-counter adhesive dressings to use.

Washing

After your surgery, do not take a bath so that your wound does not soak in water.

You can wash or shower. Shower carefully. Do not get your wound wet for the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery.

• After 1 to 2 days, start to clean your wound every day, using gentle soap and running water. Do not scrub the wound or use a powerful shower jet of water.

• Pat the wound dry gently.
• Apply Savlon antiseptic gel or cream twice daily until the wound has fully healed.

Pain

When the effect of the local anaesthetic wears off, your wound site may be painful.

You can take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol (if you are not allergic to it).

Do not take ibuprofen during the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, because it increases the risk of bleeding.

Bleeding

You may notice a small amount of blood coming through the dressing. This is normal.

If the bleeding does not stop, apply uninterrupted firm pressure with a clean cloth directly over the wound dressing for about 15 minutes.

You can also apply an ice pack for 15 minutes. Wrap the ice pack in a clean towel so that you do not wet the wound dressing.

Work, exercise and daily activities

Do not put strain onto your wound site while you still have stitches.  Strain on your wound site can cause your stitches to open.

For at least 3 to 4 weeks, avoid bending, lifting heavy objects or overstretching the wound. (These activities can result in bleeding or cause the wound to break open).

Monitoring the wound site

Infection

Any surgical procedure carries the risk of infection, which usually appears 48 hours after surgery.

Contact your GP or call NHS111 if you experience any of the following:

• Increasing redness, pain and swelling around the wound.
• The wound begins to leak, ooze with pus, or bleed again.
• You have a raised temperature and feel unwell.

You may experience a clear or watery discharge from the wound site, after surgery. This is normal.

Wound healing and stitches

We do not remove non-dissolvable stitches in Main Outpatients at Kingston Hospital. To have these removed, arrange an appointment with your GP surgery practice nurse.

• You may experience swelling and bruising around the wound site, and slight bleeding, for the first 24 hours after surgery.  This is normal.
• The area around your wound may be numb for several weeks.
• The wound line will look dark pink at first and the edges will be red. It may take many months before the scar turns pale.
• If we have used dissolving stitches (sutures), you may be able to see and feel small bumps under the wound for several months. These will gradually shrink as the stitches are absorbed by your body.
• Book an appointment with your GP Practice Nurse if you are worried that your stitches are not healing. They may decide to trim your stitches.

Scarring

• All procedures that involve an incision (cut) through your skin will cause a scar. Scarring can be minimal or more obvious (raised, lumpy or stretched scars). This depends on many factors, including family history.

• After 3 weeks, it may be helpful to gently massage the wound site for several minutes. Do this once a day for 6 months, using a simple moisturiser.