Post-op wound care tips?

How can I prevent a wound from festering and avoid any potential complications down the line? My stitches have been removed, and while the wound is healing, there's a tiny bit of pus forming. My doctor assured me that this is perfectly normal and that the healing process is right on track. I’ve been rinsing it with clean water several times a day and making sure to wear only loose cotton clothing over the area. Does anyone have any advice? Should I be using a specific ointment, iodine, or something else entirely? Thanks.

If that wound is still oozing, don't go dousing it in water. You can dab some iodine on it, but honestly, using a Bepaten plus cream works wonders too.🙂

crimsonpuma48 As stated by:
If you have an open wound that keeps weeping, don't go making things worse by soaking it in water. You could try applying some iodine, but honestly, using a good quality cream like Bepanthen Plus might be your best bet.🙂

Could you please explain why it's a bad idea to get a wound wet if it's still oozing? And when you say "oozing," what exactly do you mean? Is it pus, or something else?

Look, if the wound has actually closed up—meaning the stitches are already out—then someone’s basically just staring at it; it shouldn't be oozing any pus at all!!!
If there is pus, then you're looking at a secondary infection caused by over-fiddling with it or picking at the scab.
The golden rule here is simple:you don't need to be constantly washing and re-dressing a surgical wound!!!

By the way, why on earth would anyone feel the need to wash a wound that's dry and healing perfectly fine with water "multiple times a day"???
I mean, how many times a day do you wash your legs or your... other parts? 😈

For a wound that's healed or in the final stages of healing—one that's "healthy" and doing its job—you should only be re-dressing it every 2-3 days. Once it's pretty much finished healing, a daily shower is fine, but after that, you just gently pat the area dry with a clean towel and cover it with sterile gauze until the discharge completely stops.
Doing anything more than that just risks causing a secondary infection, which is really just contaminating the site by messing with it too much.🙂

Now, primary infections where things start failing right from the jump are an entirely different animal.😬

Powder or spray?

The stitches have been removed, and my doctor assured me that everything is healing beautifully. Apparently, there’s no need for any further bandaging or dressing changes—just keep the area clean and leave it be. I assume "keeping it clean" implies rinsing it with plain water, though I wonder if that might mean overdoing it with the moisture?
It seems I may have made a bit of a mistake in how I handled things initially. Is there any specific advice for what to do now? Should I avoid frequent washing and try to keep the site dry instead? Also, should I hold off on using any topical treatments, like an antibiotic ointment?
I appreciate the help. 😳

Keep that wound dry! It shouldn't be moist at all.
Bivacin is basically like magic antibiotic powder. You'll be fully healed by tomorrow.

Keep it dry and just let it be until it starts leveling out with the surrounding skin... after a few days pass, you can start applying calendula ointment over the whole wound area and its perimeter. It really helps boost epithelialization and has those nice, natural mild antibiotic properties...

You really ought to grease that wound up with some lavender oil once the scab finally starts to form.

Thanks, Susan Martin24 🙂
Do you happen to know of any websites that host a comprehensive text file covering all of this, or is there really nothing left to say beyond what you've already laid out here?

St. John's Wort is really best used during that later stage when the scar tissue starts to contract—though honestly, I don't think there's any harm in applying the oil beforehand right where the incision is going to be.
Neven ointment is great for speeding up epithelialization—basically helping both skin and mucous membranes heal. You can use it on vaginal or anal mucosa without any issues, especially if you use Dr. Theissov’s version since it uses a lard base.
That makes it useful for treating vaginal erosions or even dealing with hemorrhoids (I actually suggest it quite often when paired with my own "secret" trick of local icing 😈).

As for looking up some official textbook on this stuff—look, this is just basic bread-and-butter knowledge for my line of work. It's the kind of thing you just know by heart without needing to go hunting through a manual...

Susan Martin24 said:Neven’s ointment speeds up epithelialization—for everything, both skin and mucous membranes (you can easily apply it to vaginal or anal mucosa, especially Dr. Theissov's version since it uses a lard base).

So, what you're saying is it's good for... sex? 😁

Walter Myers4 said:So, you're saying it's actually good for... sex? 😁

Well, if things are feeling a little dry down there, why not? 😬

I mean, I'm not exactly convinced the flavor is anything special, so I'd probably skip the oral part. 😈

Susan Martin24 said:Well, if you're dry down there, why not? 😬

Look, I'm just saying, I'm not exactly convinced the taste is going to be anything special, so I'd probably pass on the oral part. 😈

And who said I was asking for myself? 😁

Walter Myers4 said:who actually said I should ask for myself? 😁

Honestly, nobody would ever even dream of saying something like that... 🙂>

Anthony Miller13 said:Can you please explain why it's bad to soak it if the wound is still weeping? And what do you mean by "weeping"? Like pus or...?

Susan Martin24 already laid it all out for you.
We’re lucky to have her😘 ; honestly, I just wish I’d stumbled onto this forum sooner.
I wouldn't even be wasting my time scrolling through the web if I hadn't torn up my leg. Between being out on medical leave and obsessively Googling scar treatments, I ended up landing on these pages.

The only thing I'm stuck on is these creams meant to speed up skin regrowth. I'm starting to think my scar ended up raised (hypertrophic) because of them. Or maybe it's just my genetics.😕

Look, it’s not just about having genetically prone hypertrophic scarring. Some people are just naturally wired for wonky healing, but even then, no two scars look the same. It’s wild how much variables play into it—where the wound is located, the specific technique the doctor used, or even the type of sutures they picked out... but it goes deeper than that. For women, the timing within the menstrual cycle can actually make a difference, not to mention how much stress your body was under while trying to knit itself back together, or how you handled the wound care at home. And honestly? There’s always that mysterious "Factor X" that plastic surgeons always talk about in their textbooks. 😈

I’m looking for some guidance here—has anyone dealt with something similar? About three weeks ago, I had surgery for a hernia just above my navel. They did six stitches, but things took a turn for the worse when an infection set in. I was put on antibiotics, which eventually calmed the inflammation down, but during the peak of the infection, they actually had to remove two of the stitches to let the area drain and clean out. It's healing now, and the swelling has gone down quite a bit, but yesterday the doctors told me I should be lightly showering the area several times a day. To be honest, I'm feeling pretty anxious about it. I'm terrified of messing up the healing process and I'm just not sure how to handle it. If anyone has been through this or has some practical advice, I would truly appreciate it.🙂

Hey there,
I had a minor procedure on my chest yesterday—just some fat removal. It’s a tiny incision with four stitches, nothing crazy, and they just put a gauze pad over it for now. They told me I should probably re-dress it in about two days, though honestly, I don't really see why since it looks like a pretty standard little wound.

Since I can't get an appointment with my doctor on such short notice, I was wondering if it's okay to handle the dressing myself? Specifically, besides grabbing some larger bandages or fresh gauze, is there anything else I'll need?

Should I be using Rivanol or maybe some other antiseptic to clean it up? And what's the best way to actually do it—do I just lightly dab the area with some cotton balls or something?

Apply either a fresh sterile gauze pad or some Steri-Strips, depending on how large the area is.
I suppose you could coat it in Betadine or spray it with Octenisept, though if the wound is minor and isn't showing signs of infection, there probably isn't much point in bothering.

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