Post-operative wound
After the surgery, after a certain period of time, depending on the severity of the wound as well as the patient’s health condition, the doctors will discharge the patient or stay for further treatment. However, this is also the time when the patient and family need to take care of the incision carefully to support the wound to heal quickly, without complications and will not leave bad scars.
How to change the wound dressing after surgery is the right way, without infection and at the same time limiting causing more pain to the patient is one of the concerns of many people.
How to change the wound dressing after surgery?
This should be done every day, before that the family can see how to change the bandages of the doctors at the hospital so that they can be applied when the relatives return home.
- Place the patient in the most comfortable position possible sitting/lying on the bed before changing the dressing, as long as the patient is comfortable.
- The person changing the dressing needs to wash their hands with soap (or maybe wear gloves when doing it) and place a pillow so that the wound is most visible.
- Remove the old dressing: remove slowly and gently to avoid causing more pain to the patient or causing more bleeding. If you see fluid or blood on the bandage, soak it in water to clean the wound before removing the bandage.
- Remove old gauze from the wound surface.
- Observe and reassess wound condition.
- Use gauze soaked with solution to wash the wound, proceed to wash the wound from top to bottom, from inside to outside the healing area, wash gently, do not rub vigorously.
- Gently blot the wound with a clean gauze pad.
- Apply sterile gauze over the wound surface and then cover with a bandage.
- With sutured wounds, the wound is dry and clean. After about 5 days of suture removal in the head area and 7 days of suture removal for wounds in other areas of the body. If you do not have the skills / knowledge about this, it is best to take the patient to a medical facility so that the doctor can help you with the suture removal procedure (if using self-dissolving sutures, there will be no need to cut the thread, because after 5-7 days the thread will dissolve).
- After cutting the suture, the wound will begin to grow new skin, so you should pay attention to monitor it daily to avoid infection.
Post-operative wound care at home
Along with the daily wound dressing, you should also perform the following wound care to help the healing process take place quickly, smoothly and without leaving scars:
- Keep the incision dry and clean: Do not use medicines or apply folk remedies without the consent of the doctor.
- If the wound is light, the doctor will allow you to shower, but only take a quick shower, not too hot or too long. Absolutely do not soak the body in the bath because it will easily cause an infection in the wound.
- Do not exercise vigorously to directly affect the incision.
- Avoid exposing the incision to direct light.
- The incision can be covered with a bandage to avoid the penetration of bacteria, but it must be clean and airy and the dressing should be changed at least twice a day.
The secret to helping the incision heal quickly, limiting scarring
Wound healing quickly or not will depend on many factors such as: location, age of chronic disease, resistance, nutritional status, radiation therapy, incision location… Keeping the wound clean and healthy. Providing the necessary substances for the body to support the rapid recovery process is extremely important.
Some nutrients you need to supplement are: protein, albumin, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins A, C, K, vitamins B1, B6, B12, copper, iron, zinc. Should drink a lot of water and supplement vitamins from green vegetables and fruits
Scars will be the result of your body’s self-healing process. The scars will not be the same because each person will have a different body. Nutritionally, if you add more protein and zinc can help limit scar formation.
When going out, you should cover and protect the wound with sunscreen for sensitive skin, avoid exposing new wounds on young skin to direct sunlight.
The advice previously left in the folklore, you should minimize foods such as fishy foods, eggs, seafood (because it will cause itching and discomfort), sticky foods (causing festering wounds), vegetables morning glory (will cause keloid scars), beef (will cause dark scars to form)… to minimize the appearance of bad scars on the wound.
The dressing change and wound care after surgery is an absolute must-do, it is important in the process of completing and healing the wound from both the inside and the outside. Therefore, you should take these care seriously and reasonably so as not to leave unfortunate consequences after the surgery.