September 2026

How Long Can Stitches Stay In After Surgery?

By Your Health Magazine Health Information Team

Most removable stitches stay in place for about 3 to 21 days after surgery, with many removed within 5 to 14 days. The correct timing depends on the incision’s location, tension, depth, healing progress, and the type of operation. Facial stitches may come out after only a few days, while stitches on the legs, palms, or soles often remain longer. Always follow the removal date provided by your surgeon rather than removing stitches yourself.

Typical Stitch Removal Times by Location

The following ranges are general estimates for external, non-dissolvable stitches or staples. Your surgical team may recommend a different schedule after examining the incision. The American College of Surgeons’ surgical wound guidance provides these typical removal times:

Incision location	Typical time until removal
Face	3 to 5 days
Scalp	7 to 10 days
Arms	7 to 10 days
Trunk or torso	10 to 14 days
Legs	10 to 14 days
Tops of hands or feet	10 to 14 days
Palms or soles	14 to 21 days

These ranges should not override your discharge instructions. A surgeon may leave some or all stitches in longer when an incision is under tension or healing more slowly. In other cases, the clinician may remove every other stitch first and take out the remaining stitches later.

What Happens If Stitches Stay In Too Long?

Being a day or two late for removal is not automatically an emergency, but you should contact the surgeon’s office and arrange an evaluation. According to government-funded guidance on caring for stitches, stitches left in too long can become harder to remove and may increase visible scarring.

Possible problems include:

More noticeable stitch marks: Skin may begin healing around the thread, leaving small crosshatch or “railroad track” marks.
Local irritation: The skin around individual stitches may become tender, red, itchy, or inflamed.
Difficult removal: New tissue can grow around the stitch, making removal more uncomfortable or complicated.
Trapped material: A remaining piece of non-dissolvable suture can act as a foreign body and cause a persistent bump or drainage.

Do not pull, cut, or remove overdue stitches at home. A healthcare professional should first confirm that the wound edges are sufficiently healed and check for infection or separation.

Removable Versus Dissolvable Stitches

Not every stitch visible after surgery needs to be removed. Check your discharge paperwork or ask your surgical team which type was used.

Type	What usually happens
Non-dissolvable external stitches	A surgeon, nurse, or other trained healthcare professional removes them after the incision has healed enough.
Dissolvable stitches	The body gradually breaks them down. Depending on the material and location, this may take several weeks or longer.
Buried internal stitches	These are often absorbable and are placed beneath the skin, where they do not require routine removal.
Permanent internal sutures	Some nonabsorbable sutures are intentionally left inside the body to support repaired tissue.

If you were told that your stitches are absorbable, do not assume that a visible end should be pulled out. A small piece may temporarily protrude as the material breaks down. Contact the surgical office if it becomes painful, increasingly red, swollen, or persistently irritating. Learn more about how long dissolvable stitches take to fully dissolve.

What If You Missed Your Removal Appointment?

Call your surgeon or the clinic that performed the procedure and request the next appropriate appointment. If that office is unavailable, a primary care clinician, urgent care center, or wound-care clinic may be able to assess the incision and remove the stitches.

When calling, be prepared to provide:

The date and type of surgery
The location of the incision
The date removal was originally recommended
Whether the stitches are removable or dissolvable
Any redness, drainage, swelling, pain, fever, bleeding, or wound opening

If you were not given a removal date, do not choose one based only on a general chart. Contact the surgical team because the type of operation and condition of the wound can change the schedule.

Caring for the Incision Until Removal

Follow the instructions provided by your surgical team. General MedlinePlus guidance for closed surgical wounds recommends not pulling at stitches or trying to remove them yourself.

Wash your hands before touching the incision or changing its dressing.
Keep the dressing in place for as long as your surgeon directs, replacing it sooner if it becomes wet or soaked.
Avoid clothing that rubs against or catches on the stitches.
Do not apply antibiotic ointments, peroxide, alcohol, iodine, lotions, or other products unless instructed.
Avoid soaking in a bathtub, swimming pool, or hot tub until your clinician says it is safe.
Limit movements, lifting, or exercise that pull on the incision.

For additional general consumer health information, you can browse the MedlinePlus health topics library.

When to Seek Care

Contact your surgeon promptly if stitches come out early or you notice:

Increasing redness, warmth, swelling, or pain
Thick yellow, green, tan, or foul-smelling drainage
The wound edges separating or the incision becoming deeper
Persistent bleeding or drainage soaking through the dressing
Fever, chills, or feeling increasingly unwell
Dark, pale, or otherwise concerning changes in the wound tissue

Seek urgent medical care for heavy bleeding that does not stop with firm direct pressure, a deeply opened incision, exposed tissue, or severe symptoms. Stitch timing is only one part of wound care; the incision’s appearance and healing progress ultimately determine when removal is safe.