About dissolvable stitches

Facts about Surgical Stitches

Most of us know that surgical stitches are means by which surgeons in many different branches of medicine join our separated tissue. This may be closing up a wound, a cut, an operation incision etc. Either way, this is the best possible way of ensuring a proper healing of a wound or any part of our damaged tissue. Now, for these purposes, surgeons use two different types of stitches. Namely, there are dissolvable and non-dissolvable stitches. The latter, once they serve their purpose, need to be removed by the surgeon. Therefore, another procedure is necessary for their removal for the healed skin or tissue of a patient. On the other hand dissolvable stitches disappear and there is no need for any additional interventions. Moreover, dissolvable stitches may be used for internal stitching, during internal surgeries.

More about Dissolvable Stitches

These stitches are made of materials which our body can absorb after they get dissolved. Once this happens, our organism considers these materials mere waste, breaks them down by different enzymes and, eventually, gets rid of them by expelling them throughout feces or urine. The materials used for creation of these stitches are hair, silk and processed collagen, even though some other, synthetic materials may be used too. Nevertheless, these are also completely dissolvable by our system.

There are different types of these stitches used for different purposes. For example, our joints and stretchable parts of our body need more elastic stitches than other parts of our body which are usually static and physically unchanged most of the time. Additionally, the time for dissolving may be shorter or longer, depending on the stitches, again, depending on the recovery of the wound itself.

One type of these stitches is created from processed animal collagen. This material is capable of holding the wound firmly for at least 7 days, getting dissolved through the course of 2 months. Sometimes, if there is a need for a longer endurance, these stitches are treated with chromium salt, which enhances them and makes them more durable.

There are much long lasting stitches made from polymer molecules. These are capable of being present for more than 40 days before dissolving, thus being used for those surgeries which require a long recovery period.

There are other synthetic stitches which endure from 90 to 120 days, providing the best support for about 20 days.