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19 years
When do i know if my "cut" needs stitches? What may happen if i treat it and let it heal by itself when it needs to be stitched? Thank you
Aug 1, 2014

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics
Cuts, or wounds, have certain indications for suturing (stitching), depending on the injury mechanism (clean vs dirty wound, sharp vs tortuous cut, size of the cut, the injured area as different areas of the skin have different skin thickness). Minor wounds (ie those where you don't see a large gap in between the edges of the wound) can be left to heal and close on their own with proper care (keep them clean and dry) ; when a wound looks deep, it might need to be sutured, otherwise it'll not heal properly and get infected or leave a scar or form what we call keloid (whereby the skin fabricates a lot of collagen in an attempt to close the gap created by the wound).
When in doubt, seek medical opinion.
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