Techniques for Skin Closure

Skin closure is a procedure conducted by doctors for a range of wounds, whether deep cuts or incisions that need to be closed post-surgery. There are two main procedures of skin closure: sutures and surgical stapling. For minor wounds, sutures are the reliable and standard method for closure. On the other hand, a case where you have a linear laceration located on the scalp or extremities, doctors can prefer to use staples. They can be placed quickly, which proves useful in situations where there is excessive bleeding and in mass casualty settings where there are many wounds which need to be attended to. Staples are also cost-effective, can be placed easily, and have similar healing times and infection rates as sutures Both methods are discussed below in further detail.

Sutures

Sutures can be used by your doctor to close wounds on your skin or other tissues. They will use a length of “thread” attached to a needle to stitch the wound shut. They will also choose a material that’s appropriate for the wound or procedure. Types of suture needles can also vary. There are two main types of sutures. The material used can be classified as either absorbable or nonabsorbable.

Absorbable sutures do not need to be removed by your doctor as the tissues of your body naturally digest them. On the other hand, nonabsorbable sutures will need to be removed by your doctor at a later date or in some cases left in permanently. These have variations within them as well.

1.      Types of absorbable sutures

·        Gut

·        Polydioxanone (PDS)

·        Poliglecaprone (MONOCRYL suture)

·        Polyglactin (Vicryl)

 

2.      Types of nonabsorbable sutures

·        Nylon

·        Polypropylene (Prolene)

·        Silk

·        Polyester (Ethibond)

Surgical Staples

Surgical staples are used in order to close incisions after surgery. They are often used to close surgical incisions or wounds that are way too big or complex for sutures. Using staples can decrease the time required to complete surgery as well as heal. It can also be much less painful. Staples are often used for women who undergo C-sections because they help the incision heal faster while also not causing too much scarring.

Unlike stitches, surgical staples dissolve as your incision or wound heals. For this reason, they require some special care and must be removed by your doctor with a skin staple remover once the incision has completely healed. Modern surgical staplers are of two major types: linear and circular staplers.

Some common surgical staple materials include:

·        Titanium- Easily adheres to both bodily tissues and bone. It is also much less likely to cause any sort of infection.

·        Plastic- Often is used in case you are allergic to metals found in other surgical staples.

·        Polylactide-polyglycolide copolymer- This material is easily reabsorbed into the body and is unlikely to leave a scar.