They sewed me up

October 26, 2005 8:41 PM

I have stitches on my nose.

One of the outer stitches is squeezing the skin, causing it to buckle up into an unsightly bump that extends beyond the actual cut (sorry, can't think of a better way to describe it). Will this bump smooth out and disappear after the stitches are removed or will tissue grow under it, making it permanent?

posted by Krrrlson to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

yeesh, I know this is the same old same old answer for these medical threads, but please go ask your doctor if your stiches are screwed up and going to give you an unsightly scar. Yes, the way cuts heal can give alter the final appearance of the skin. Without at least a decent photo nobody can say whether you condition might cause unsightly disfigurement.
posted by nanojath at 9:04 PM on October 26, 2005

Best answer: Make sure you are putting vitamin D or neosporin or something on it all the time and whenever you can. This helps tremendously as well.
posted by banished at 9:32 PM on October 26, 2005

I've had stitches that did the same thing but with time they smoothed out. However, if it's your nose I'd have the doctor take a look at it. My mother just had cancer removed from her nose and it was healing lumpy. Her doctor said he would have to do additional surgery in a few months if the lump doesn't flatten out.

There you go, two sides; both say see your doctor.
Good luck
posted by bat at 9:35 PM on October 26, 2005

I just underwent a major surgery and have a lengthy incision that is healing. Both ends are "puckered" as it were, but my surgeon assures me that both areas will smooth out in time, but it could take months. Further, if it doesn't smooth out to satisfaction he will make adjustments.

You may not want to wait months for your scar to even out. Call him/her and ask for a follow up so she/he can see it and advise.
posted by FlamingBore at 10:36 PM on October 26, 2005

Dude. Did you inhale a bee or something?

Anyway, my experience with stitches is that they do pucker up a lot during the healing process, but smooth out somewhat in the end. Note: "somewhat," not "completely."

If you are concerned about scarring, see the doctor who gave you the stitches sooner rather than later.

If it wasn't a doctor who gave you the stitches, well, then, there's going to be some scarring...
posted by dersins at 10:55 PM on October 26, 2005

IANAD, and this is purely based on something I half remember that may or may not have been on a discussion board, but while looking into treatments for acne scars, I read that scars on the nose are very difficult to get rid of--so get thee to a doctor soon.
posted by stray at 11:42 PM on October 26, 2005

Best answer: In a previous and related askme question, I asked for advice the time I had 7 stitches in my nose.

I had a similar sounding problem which I left and it got worse and worse. Then, some cotton-type stuff emerged from the side of my nose. It turned out that the dissolving sutures (had stitches outside and in because the cut went right through) decided not to dissolve and worked their way out of the side of my face. I checked them out with a nurse and she said it was normal.

As for healing and scarring - The attack happened in February. The bump and stitches emerging from face happened a few months later. Now? I can see the scar, but it's very rare that someone else will notice it. Healing is a marvellous thing, and I don't think that noses are particularly bad at it.

Returning to the question I asked - about ointments and potions and the like - the best advice came in email. There's this stuff called "bio oil", and if you look on the ingredients list, it contains pretty much everything else people had recommended. I used that for the first couple of months and I suspect it did actually help (although a plastic surgeon friend told me that the massaging was probably as useful as the "snake oil").
posted by handee at 12:50 AM on October 27, 2005

Gah.
See your doctor - Now.
posted by Radio7 at 1:00 AM on October 27, 2005

Another question - when are you getting the stitches removed? Mine only stayed in 5 days. Things definitely smoothed out when they were removed.
posted by handee at 1:49 AM on October 27, 2005

I cut off a knuckle once (don't ask) and the sutures looked pretty awful but settled down nicely. Doc at the time worried about the "dog ears" healing into it, and it actually just flattened out and looked like everyone else's knuckle pretty quickly.
That's to make you feel like you are not necessarily doomed. Then, because it's on your face, I'd take it back in and see the doctor who did it. He doesn't want you running around with a Frankenstein scar either, it's bad for business. Anything on your face you take good care of.
posted by deep_cover at 5:05 AM on October 27, 2005

I would suggest you see a reputable, experienced plastic surgeon anytime you need stitches on you face. A bad scar on your face can bug you for the rest of your life.
posted by peppermint22 at 6:53 AM on October 27, 2005

A bad scar on your face could also make you look super awesome and tough for the rest of your life -- and, if you have a good story to go along with that scar (or a good imagination), it could be a great conversation starter. If a lifetime of reading Mickey Spillane novels has taught me one thing, it's that the ladies love thugs.

But that's just how I roll.
posted by sluggo at 4:05 PM on October 27, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Just FYI, I did call the guy (and he *is* a plastic surgeon) before I posted the question and his secretary told me the bumps smooth out after the stitches are removed - however, I wasn't sure if she understood the exact nature of the problem (she sounded a little dismissive about it) and wanted to see if anyone had a similar experience.

I have been putting polysporin on the thing and the stitches come off in a few days, so I should be ok.
posted by Krrrlson at 4:38 PM on October 27, 2005

The 'healing ridge' is part of healing by primary intent, which is what a sutured facial laceration is supposed to do.

But if I were you, I'd show up at his office on his clinic day, unscheduled, and bug him to take a look at it. That way, instead of my nearly wholly-uninformed opinion on what might be happening, you'll be in the presence of someone who will be competent to immediately decide what is actually happening, and fix it if necessary. It'll take him probably under 5 seconds to figure this out, so don't worry about wasting his time.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:04 PM on October 27, 2005