How to Remove Stitches

Wound Cleaning and Preparation

Make sure you’ve healed enough before removing your stitches. In some cases, you absolutely shouldn't remove your own stitches. If your stitches were inserted after a surgical procedure, or if the recommended healing time (usually 10-14 days) hasn't elapsed, removing them yourself can put you at greater risk for infection and may prevent your body from healing properly. Your skin needs to have grown back together before your stitches are removed. Keep in mind that when you go to the doctor, adhesive strips are often placed on the skin after stitch removal to continue to facilitate the healing process. If you do it at home, you may not be getting the care you require. If you want to double check whether it's OK to remove your stitches, give your doctor a call. They will let you know whether it's safe enough to do it yourself. However, they will likely recommend you come into the office to get your stitches removed. If your wound looks as if it's getting red or more sore, do not remove your stitches—go to your doctor. You may have an infection. Keep in mind that in many cases, you can get your stitches removed without going through the regular doctor's appointment process. You might be able to walk right in for a quick stitch removal. It's likely that a nurse can check your wound and remove the stitches if the wound has healed. Call your doctor and ask.

Choose a tool to cut your stitches. To remove your stitches, you’ll need a small pair of scissors. Use a sharp pair of surgical scissors if possible. Sharp nail scissors may also work. Avoid using any type of blunt edge, and don't use a knife—it's too easy for knives to slip.

Sterilize your scissors and a pair of tweezers in boiling water. Drop them in a pot of boiling water, cover the pot, and let the tools boil for at least 20 minutes. Carefully remove them, let them thoroughly dry on a clean paper towel, then swab them thoroughly with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. This will ensure the scissors and tweezers don't transfer bacteria to your body. Use sterilized tongs or chopsticks to take the tools out of the pot so that you don’t burn your hands or contaminate the tools.

Gather bandages and antibiotic ointment. There are a few other things you should have on hand. Gather sterile bandages and antibiotic ointment in case you need to treat an area that starts to bleed. You shouldn't need to use these supplies, since if your skin has properly healed, no bandage is necessary, but it's important to have them on hand just in case.

Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Before you touch the wound, carefully wash your hands. Take off any jewelry and wash your hands with soap and warm water, making sure to wash the front and back of both hands as well as in between your fingers. When you’re done, pat your hands dry on a clean paper towel. If your hands aren’t visibly dirty or greasy, you can also clean them with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Rub the sanitizer over all surfaces of your hands and fingers for at least 20-30 seconds, then let your hands air dry.

Wash and sterilize the stitch site with soap, water, and alcohol. Wet the site with warm water, then apply soap. Rinse the soap away with warm water, and pat the wound dry with a clean towel. Use a rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton ball to dab around the stitches. Be sure the area is completely clean before proceeding. Cleaning and disinfecting the area will help prevent an infection. It will also help remove any dried blood or crusted fluids around the wound and make it easier to remove the stitches.

Safe Removal

Sit in a well-lighted spot. You'll need to be able to see every stitch clearly to do the job properly. Don't attempt to remove your stitches in a place that's too dark, or you could accidentally cut yourself. If there isn’t enough natural light available, sit near a bright lamp so you can see what you’re doing.

Lift the first knot. Use the pair of tweezers to gently lift the knot of the first stitch slightly above the skin. Hold the tweezers in you non-dominant hand, since you’ll be cutting the stitch with the scissors in your dominant hand.

Cut the suture with the scissors. Holding the knot above your skin, use your other hand to insert your scissors under the knot. Snip the suture next to the knot, as close to the skin as possible.

Pull the thread through. Use the tweezers to continue grasping the knot and gently pull the stitch through your skin and out. Put the removed stitch aside on a piece of gauze or paper towel. You might feel a bit of pressure as you remove the stitch, but it should not be painful. Do not pull the knot through your skin. It will catch on your skin and cause bleeding to occur. To avoid this, hold onto the knot itself with the tweezers as you pull out the stitch. If the skin starts to bleed when you remove the stitch, your stitches are not ready to come out. Stop what you're doing and see a doctor to remove the remaining stitches.

Continue removing the stitches. Use the tweezers to lift the knots, then snip with the scissors. Pull the thread through and set it aside. Continue until all the stitches have been removed.

Cleanse the wound with a wipe or soap and water. Make sure there's no residue left around the area of the wound. Gently cleanse it by wiping it with an antiseptic wipe or cleaning it with soap and warm water. If you'd like, you can place a sterile bandage over the area and allow it to continue to heal. To reduce the chance of scarring, put a gentle moisturizer, such as petroleum jelly or Vaseline, on the wound.

Aftercare

See a doctor if any problems arise. If your wound is not fully healed or your skin splits again, you're going to need more stitches. It's very important to see a doctor immediately if this happens. Bandaging the wound and trying to let it heal without new stitches won't be adequate.

Avoid exerting yourself too much so the wound doesn’t reopen. Skin regains its strength slowly. After your stitches are removed, the skin may remain weak as it continues to heal. Don't overuse the body part where you had stitches. For instance, you may need to avoid doing any heavy lifting until your doctor says it’s safe, since too much strain could cause the wound to reopen. If you’re concerned about the wound opening up again, put a series of Steri-Strips along the incision where the stitches used to be. These will help keep the edges of the wound together as it heals.

Protect the wound from UV rays. Ultraviolet light is damaging even to healthy tissue. Use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 if your wound will be exposed to the sun or when using tanning beds. You can protect the area even more effectively if you also cover the scar with protective clothing (such as long sleeves or pants) and stay in the shade as much as possible.