Here’s some information on what happens to the stitches used in the surgery on your tum if you have this kind of reconstruction. I had one of these reconstructions on 8 September so I wanted to know how things would go. Dissolvable sutures are good as you don’t have to have the out, but how long do they last? The information below may help to find out…please ignore the last line of what follows as I can’t work out a way of deleting it…
Overview
Dissolvable (absorbable) stitches (sutures) are used to close wounds or surgical incisions, typically inside the body.
Some wounds or incisions are closed by a combination of dissolvable stitches below the surface and nondissolvable stitches, or staples, on top.
Dissolvable stitches are treated by the body as foreign objects that don’t belong. The immune system generates an inflammatory response to dissolve, or eradicate, the perceived invasion.
Because dissolvable stitches may create more scarring than nondissolvable ones do, they’re most often used internally rather than externally.
Dissolvable stitches are designed to disintegrate on their own, over a specific amount of time. They’re made of ingredients that absorb readily into skin.
Suture ingredients are always sterile. They include:
- synthetic polymer materials, such as polydioxanone, polyglycolic acid, polyglyconate, and polylactic acid
- natural materials, such as purified catgut, collagen, sheep intestines, cow intestines, and silk (though stitches made of silk are usually treated as permanent)
How long does it take?
Several factors determine the amount of time it takes for dissolvable stitches to break down and disappear. These include:
- the surgical procedure used or type of wound being closed
- the type of stitches used to close the incision or wound
- suture material type
- The size of the suture used
This timeframe can range from a few days to one to two weeks or even several months.
When are they used?
The type of sutures used for specific procedures may be determined, in part, by your doctor’s preference and expertise. Dissolvable stitches may be used in cases where follow-up wound care isn’t needed.
Procedures that might use dissolvable stitches include the following