Wound care after glue or stitches

If your child’s wound has been repaired with sutures or glue, there are things you can do to reduce bleeding, promote healing and minimise scarring.

How the wound heals

Your child’s wound will be red and tender while it heals and they may need paracetamol or ibuprofen. Make sure to follow the instructions and don’t give them more than the recommended amount.

Their wound should feel more comfortable after 2 to 3 days but it will leave a scar. The scar may be red or purple but will fade over time. This may take up to 12 months.

If your child gets a scar you can do the following to improve the appearance:

• keep the wound out of the sun and use sunscreen
• massage the wound with firm pressure several times a day with a moisturising cream such as Sorbolene.

If you have concerns about how the scar looks, talk to your child’s GP, they may be able to refer you to a plastic surgeon.

Care at home

Glue

The glue will come off by itself as the wound heals. This usually takes between 5 and 10 days.

If your child has tape or steri-strips, they’ll fall off by themselves. If they curl up, cut them back.

Your child can have a shower or bath after 24 hours but keep the wound dry for 5 days. If it gets wet, pat it dry with a towel.

Don't:

• apply creams or ointments until the glue has come off
• let your child rub, scratch or pick at the glue or the steri-strips
• let your child to go swimming.

Stitches

If your child has non-dissolvable stitches, your GP will need to remove them.

If your child has dissolvable stitches, they’ll disappear by themselves over time.

Keep the wound completely dry for the first 24 hours. After that, avoid soaking the wound and if it gets wet, pat it dry with a towel.

Don't let your child:

• pick at any scabs around the wound
• go swimming until the stitches are removed.

When to seek help

See your GP if:

• the wound reopens or bleeds in the first 48 hours
• the wound becomes swollen or red around the edges
• redness around the wound spreads to the surrounding skin
• your child develops a fever
• the wound smells or has a yellow or green discharge.

If you cannot see your GP,  go to your nearest emergency department.

For non-urgent medical advice, call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) and speak to a registered nurse.

Developed by the Emergency Department, Queensland Children’s Hospital. We acknowledge the input of consumers and carers.

Resource ID: FS086. Reviewed: August 2023.

Disclaimer: This information has been produced by healthcare professionals as a guideline only and is intended to support, not replace, discussion with your child’s doctor or healthcare professionals. Information is updated regularly, so please check you are referring to the most recent version. Seek medical advice, as appropriate, for concerns regarding your child’s health.