This information will help you care for your child’s wound once you leave the hospital.
How was the wound repaired?
With your doctor or nurse, check and fill in the sections that apply. Your child’s wound was repaired with:
- Regular stitches (number of stitches: ____ )
- Stitches that disappear or dissolving stitches (number of stitches: ____ )
- Staples (number of staples: ____ )
- Glue
- Adhesive strips (Steri-strips)
- No repair or closure was required
Caring for a wound with stitches (regular or dissolving) or staples
Keep the wound covered, clean, and dry. Keep your child’s wound completely covered with a bandage for ____ days. After that, you may want to put a bandage on to protect the wound during activities, but leave it off and leave the wound open to the air when your child is resting or in quiet activity at home.
Depending on your doctor’s orders, you may need to change the bandage 1 or 2 times a day. Changing the bandage means you need to remove the soiled bandage and apply a fresh one. You may also need to need to put antibiotic ointment (a cream that kills germs, such as Polysporin) on the wound 2 times a day for 7 days or more, depending on the wound and the doctor’s advice.
When squeezing the antibiotic cream out of the container, avoid contamination by making sure not to touch the tube with a dirty finger. Instead, use a clean cotton swab or cotton ball.
Washing the wound
After ____ days, you can gently wash the wound with mild soap and water. When it is safe to wash the wound, wash it only 1 or 2 times each day. Do not rub or soak the wound.
Bathing
Do not give your child a bath if the wound will go under water. It may be easier to have your child stand up in the bathtub or shower and use a damp towel to wash the non-wounded parts of the body. A shower is another bathing option while the wound is healing.
Removing stitches or staples
If your child’s wound was treated with regular stitches or staples, your child’s doctor should remove these in ____ days. If your child’s wound was treated with dissolving stitches, they do not need to be removed. They will dissolve, or melt away, on their own after ___ days.
Caring for a wound treated with glue
Do not pick at the glue. Do not rub the wound.
Do not soak the wound in water. Your child must not swim for at least 7 days.
Do not apply any creams or ointments to the wound until the glue peels or falls off. The glue should peel or fall off between 5 to 14 days.
There is no need to cover the wound with a bandage, but some parents may put a bandage over the wound to prevent the child from picking at the glue. Your child does not need to see the doctor after the glue has peeled or fallen off.
Bathing
Do not give your child a bath if the wound will be under water. It may be easier to have your child stand up in the bathtub or shower and use a damp towel to wash the non-wounded parts of the body. A shower is another bathing option while the wound is healing. After the shower, the wound can be patted dry with a towel.
Caring for your child’s wound treated with adhesive strips (Steri-strips)
You can trim the edges of the strips as they naturally separate from the skin with time. If the strips remain in place after 7 days, you can remove them at home by soaking them in water. Your child does not need to go back to see the doctor after the strips have peeled off.
Bathing
Do not soak or rub the wound. Your child can have a shower after which the wound can be patted dry with a towel. Your child must not swim for 7 days.
When to get medical assistance
As your child’s wound heals, the edges will become slightly pink. This is normal.
Take your child to his regular doctor or the nearest Emergency Department if any of the following happen:
- Your child’s wound becomes painful, red, or swollen.
- There is a yellowish or greenish fluid coming from your child’s wound.
- Your child develops a fever in the next 72 hours.
- Your child’s wound opens up or starts bleeding.
Taking care of your child’s scar after the wound has healed
Most wounds will leave some degree of a scar on the skin. Scar formation is affected by many factors, such as wound location and size, skin type, age, infection, smoking, and current diseases or skin conditions. Your child’s scar may appear thick for the first few months after repair. The appearance of the scar will continue to change during the first 6 to 18 months after the wound is repaired.
Once the wound is repaired, you can help minimize the final appearance of the scar by doing the following:
- Protect your child’s scar from direct sunlight. You can do this by covering the wound with clothing, staying in the shade, or using protective sunblock.
- Gently apply a moisturizer cream, such as a Vitamin E cream, to the scar 1 or 2 times a day. Do not apply moisturizer if the staples, stitches, glue, or strips are still on the wound. Apply the moisturizer cream 1 or 2 times a day for about 4 to 6 weeks after the wound is repaired.
- Stop smoking.
Key points
- Ask the health care professional who is managing your child's wound what to expect in terms of healing and scarring.
- See a doctor if your child has signs of infection, including fever or pain, redness, and swelling at the wound.
- Most wounds that go through the upper layers of skin will heal with a mark or scar. This mark may be more noticeable in the weeks following the injury, but it should mature or diminish over many months.