In some situations when wounds are very serious, they can require stitches to be healed. The first reason why stitches are applied to patients’ wounds is given by the fact that they are meant to stop bleeding and accelerate the healing process of a wound. Not all wounds need stitches, but the most serious ones are surely going to require them. In medical terms, there are two main reasons why stitches are required. They regard closing a wound to promote healing and reduce the risk of infection, and, at the same time, reduce the chances of serious scares to remain visible on the skin. For very deep wounds, stitches are always going to be required.

If a patient needs stitches or not is something that the doctor will need to establish. Usually, stitches are required after a surgery and they are needed when serious wounds are formed by individuals during accidents of all types. The need of stitches can be determined by the depth, the width and the location of the wound. Stitches are only applied at the hospital or in a doctor’s office and the process requires medical knowledge. Some stitches can be permanent, but the great majority of them are going to be removed after the wound starts healing. The removal of stitches will also require medical assistance and has to be performed by a specialist. Stitches can be removed after a couple of days, but depending on the seriousness of the wound and the rapidity with which it heals, they can be kept in place for a longer period of time, up to many weeks. The location of the wound will also be an important factor to influence the healing process. Different parts of the body will require different amounts of time to be healed. If facial stitches can be removed in 3 to 5 days, scalp stitches can require 7 to 10 days, while for joints stitches will most commonly take 14 days until being removed. Patients who suffer from diseases such as diabetes will most likely require stitches is all situations in which they form an open wound, as for them the healing process of a wound is much slower.

Stitches are each time used with the purpose to close wounds of the skin and accelerate the healing process. Stitches can be used on all parts of the body and they allow the skin to heal naturally. There are two types of stitches currently used by doctors and they include, on one hand, absorbable stitches, which will break down in the tissues and will lose their strength is about 60 days. They do not require to be removed by a doctor. On the other hand, nonabsorbable stitches will remain strong for more than 60 days and will have to be removed by a doctor. Making sure that stitches are not harmed, while having them on the skin, is very important for all patients.