How To Know If Your Skin Wound Needs Stitches
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When you’re unsure of how to determine if you need stitches for a wound or injury, our professional team at Nest Family Medicine in Plano, TX can help. Board-certified physician Dr. Priti Ranjan is experienced in caring for wounds and injuries. When a cut needs care, we can treat it, so there is minimal scarring and no complications, such as wound infection. While many wounds heal on their own, deeper injuries require our expert medical care. We understand the stages of wound healing. To reduce pain and swelling and prevent infection, it’s important to visit our office as soon as possible for wound care in Plano, TX. We can treat insect bites, deep lacerations, minor cuts, and more.
When you should seek medical care for a cut
All cuts should be treated for signs of wound infection. Cuts that are deeper than an inch or do not stop bleeding after 15 minutes need to be examined by Dr. Ranjan at Nest Family Medicine. Keep the wound clean and apply pressure until you get to our office. When you arrive, we will assess your wound, clean it, and close it with different types of stitches. In some instances, we may use skin glue. In severe cases, minor surgery may be necessary. Dr. Ranjan may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. We will give you thorough instructions on how to care for the wound at home and about wound infection symptoms, so you will know if you must return.
Signs of wound infection
A skin infection happens when too many germs develop in an area for your white blood cells to handle. Some common symptoms of wound infection include:
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Fever
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Redness around the wound
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Pus
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Red streak spreading away from the wound
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Swelling, tenderness, or pain that continues to worsen
For wound infection treatment, we may need to prescribe additional antibiotics to help you fight off your infection effectively.
Do I need a tetanus or rabies shot?
After we learn about your medical history and access your medical situation, we can determine if you need a shot. We will ask about your immunization history, and if you haven’t had a tetanus shot in ten years, we will administer one.
Stitches removal
The professionals at Nest Family Medicine know how to tell if you need stitches for a wound or injury. If stitches are part of your wound care treatment, you will need to come back to have them removed. It’s important that you allow Dr. Ranjan to remove your stitches and don’t try to do so on your own. We can also remove stitches you may have received at the emergency room.
Prevent wound infection after a cut or bite
While a minor cut or scrape may not seem like a big deal, it may need wound infection treatment if it isn’t treated properly. Our primary physician, Dr. Priti Ranjan, offers wound treatment and can tell you if you need stitches. To schedule an appointment at Nest Family Medicine to have your wound examined and properly treated, contact our Plano, TX office today. We accept various insurance plans and Medicare.