Post-Procedure Wound Care Instructions
Proper wound care is essential for healing and minimizing scarring. Please follow these instructions carefully based on the specific procedure you had today.
Important General Rule for All Wounds:
Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your wound or changing your dressing.
A shallow scraping of the skin. It will heal like a deep scrape or graze.
- Keep it dry: Leave the original bandage on and keep the area completely dry for the first 24 hours.
- Daily cleaning: After 24 hours, gently wash the area once or twice a day with mild, fragrance-free soap and lukewarm water. Do not scrub. Gently pat the area dry with a clean towel.
- Keep it moist: Apply a generous layer of plain petroleum jelly (like Vaseline or Aquaphor) to the wound. Can also use Polysporin if needed.
- Cover: Cover the ointment with a standard adhesive bandage (Band-Aid).
- Duration: Repeat this cleaning, moisturizing, and covering process daily until the wound is completely healed over with new skin (usually 1 to 2 weeks). Do not let a hard scab form, as this increases scarring.
A deeper, circular sample of skin that requires stitches to close.
- Keep it dry: Leave the original pressure bandage on and keep the area dry for the first 24 to 48 hours.
- Daily cleaning: After the initial period, gently wash the area daily with mild soap and water. You can let soapy water run over the stitches in the shower, but do not aggressively rub them. Pat dry gently.
- Keep it moist: Apply a layer of plain petroleum jelly (Vaseline or Aquaphor) over the stitches to prevent them from drying out and crusting, which makes removal uncomfortable.
- Cover: Apply a fresh adhesive bandage daily.
- Follow-up: Your sutures need to be removed in 7 to 10 days. Please ensure your follow-up appointment is booked. Do not attempt to pull or cut the sutures yourself.
Used to treat precancerous spots, warts, or benign skin growths.
- What to expect: The treated area will likely become red, swollen, and form a blister within 24 hours. This is the intended reaction. Blood-filled blisters are also completely normal.
- Leave the blister alone: Do not pop or drain the blister. The skin of the blister provides a natural, sterile biological dressing.
- Daily care: You may wash the area normally with gentle soap and water.
- Covering: You do not need to keep this covered unless the blister pops on its own, is weeping, or is located in an area where it rubs against clothing. If it pops or rubs, cover it with a plain Band-Aid.
- Healing: The blister will eventually dry up, turn into a scab, and fall off on its own in 1 to 2 weeks. Do not pick at the scab.
Infection is rare when proper wound care is followed. However, please contact the clinic immediately if you notice any of the following signs of infection:
- Increasing, severe pain that is not relieved by regular OTC medications such as Tylenol.
- Minor oozing is normal. If the wound actively bleeds, apply firm, continuous pressure with a clean piece of gauze or a clean towel for 20 straight minutes without peeking. If bleeding continues after 20 minutes of firm pressure, contact the clinic or visit an urgent care center.
- Expanding redness or warmth extending outward from the wound.
- Yellow or green, foul-smelling pus draining from the site (a small amount of clear or yellowish fluid on the bandage is normal).
- A fever over 38°C (100.4°F).
