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Discussion

Please help with a medical question

Hello to all,

I know that this is probably not the type of questions you get on this board, but I hope that you can please help me.

I underwent laser tattoo removal that scarred me so bad that I decided to have what remained excised instead. I was let with a better scar than what I had.

So far the scar is healing well although it has been a painful ordeal that was taken many monthes to get back to normal because of the extent of the amount of skin that has been removed.

There is one thing that concerns me though. There are two small places under the skin where you can see stitches that must not have dissolved (and possibly grown under the skin?). It has been about six monthes since I had the surgery. I have been really busy and I have only been to 2 follow up visits in which it was not noticable.

My question to you is is there any easy way for the doctor to dissolve these stitches (like maybe inject something under the skin to dissolve them?). I have gone through 2 years of dealing with this tattoo and I do not really want to have a surgery to cut them out.

And I also wonder is it harmful that they have been in there this long? I did not think it would because they are such small areas but I wanted to ask.

I hope that you can help me with my questons. Thank you all in advance and thank you for the hard job you do every single day!

Featured Replies

Were the other sutures with this set all external or internal to begin with? Usually internal sutures dissolve & external sutures have to be removed...within my limited knowledge of sutures. If these sutures started out as internal & for some reason they have not dissolved but are not painful, I'm not sure I would worry about them. Mention it the next time you see your physician though. Also, is the skin around this area red, puffy, painful, zit-like (has pus under the skin), or extremely warm? If not, I'm thinking it may be OK...however, I am NOT a physician and not familiar with your case...the above info is opinion only. Certainly, if you are concerned, you need to follow up with your physician...which it sounds like you may need to anyway as this has been a long process & you have not been seen in a while.

Your situation is not one I see in my line of work, but anecdotally, my brother had about 1000 stitches following a serious car wreck and had stitches pop out for years. He still gets one occasially and it's been 10+ years since the wreck. They usually start as a bump that begins to look like a pimple, followed by a rupture. He doesn't go the Doc when this happens and hasn't had any complications like secondary infection. If I seem casual about it, it's because we are used to it.

  • Author

Hello,

Thank you so much for your replies.

So far I have not had any redness (that was not just the redness of the whole scar), pus, ect. They do not look like they will rupture but I am not sure.

The stitches were suppose to dissolve in 3 monthes i think. They are just really small places that look like the stiches have grown under the skin where you can see it.

Do you know if they will ever dissolve on their own?

Do you know of a way that a doctor could get them out without cutting them out (like maybe injecting something under the skin to dissolve them?). I really do not want to go through any more cutting!

Thanks again for your replies and your help!

  • Expert

If they haven't dissolved by now, they are not going to...........If they are not bothering you, I would leave them alone. The only way to remove them is to open up the area, and I don't think that you want that again. Sorry that you have had so many problems with this.

I have years of OR experience behind me as well as being certified as a derma-tech. (Permanent make-up for covering scars, recreating areolas, etc.)

Hope that this helps :balloons:

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