Stitches have been used for thousands of years to close wounds and do surgery inside the body. You should be glad to be alive today if you’ve ever had stitches.
Even though the way things are done hasn’t changed much, the materials have. Today, we’ll talk about how stitches and sutures are different. It would help if you now had a better idea of how the process works.
Do you want to know more about stitch vs suture? Then, read and get ready to start a conversation with your doctor or nurse.
Stitch vs Suture
Wounds are closed with both sutures that dissolve in water and ones that don’t. They can stop blood flow, keep pathogens from getting in, and keep the tissues on both sides of the wound in good shape so they can heal and join back together normally.
People often use “stitch” and “suture” interchangeably, but in medicine, they mean different things. Sutures are the threads or strands used to help close a wound, while stitches are how the injury is healed. Suturing, on the other hand, is often used instead of stitching.
When Should Stitch Be Used?
The surgical thread has been used to close wounds for a long time. The surgical needle and suture are two important parts of the process of stitching during surgery.
Some wounds heal better and less obviously with stitches. Whether a cut needs stitches depends on its depth and location. Cuts with these characteristics may require stitches or medical attention:
- Wounds that expose deeper skin and fat
- Scarring-prone facial cuts
- Genital and hand/foot cuts
- Cuts above joints or other tense or mobile areas risk future mobility
- 10 minutes of forceful, direct pressure doesn’t stop bleeding cuts
- Deep wounds that compromise tendons or ligaments
- Foreign bodies (dirt, glass) in wounds
- Animal bites, especially cat bites, may require medication
When someone gets a cut, it’s not always clear if they need stitches or not. Your doctor is the best person to tell you which stitches guide you need.
When Should Suture Be Used?
Sutures, sometimes referred to as stitches, are sterile surgical threads used to close wounds. They are also widely used to seal surgical incisions.
Deep cuts or wounds are closed with sutures. When there is a deep wound, a doctor may need to sew the wound together layer by layer. When this happens, stitches are left under the skin, which eventually heal the wound.
There are two kinds of sutures: those that dissolve and those that don’t. Doctors don’t have to take out stitches that will fall out on their own. Enzymes in the cells of the body will naturally break them down.
Your doctor will take out non-absorbable sutures in a few days or weeks, or they may be left in place for good.
Read about suturing basics to learn what you need to know about healing wounds.
Healing Occurs Using Stitches and Sutures
There are important differences between stitch vs suture though they are both used to fix wounds. Usually, sutures are used on bigger or deeper wounds, while stitches are used on smaller, less serious ones.
Sutures can stay in place for a few weeks but are usually taken out after a few days. Talk to a doctor or other medical professional if you aren’t sure if the method of wound closure is right for you.
Do you now understand how stitches and sutures are similar and different? If so, take some time while you’re on our website to read some of our other posts.
