Suture Removal

If you come from a great distance, and chose to have a local physician remove your sutures, please provide the following information to them:

Thank you very much for allowing this patient to have their sutures removed in your office. Patients are asked to return to my office for suture removal, but if it is an inconvenience due to the use of a sling or distance, I allow them to have them removed by a local physician. If you are unwilling to perform this, please ask the patient to contact my office.

For patients who have had an arthroscopy: please remove the prolene sutures used to close the portal incisions (there can be 2-5 incision), with usually just 1 stitch per portal. In our office, we place new steri-strips over these incisions.

For larger incisions including axillary incisions used in bicep tenodesis: A monocryl suture was used to close this incision, which is an absorbable suture. Please just remove any steri-strips used and clip the tails of the suture at the level of the skin. If needed, you may place new steri-strips over the incision.

Dressing: after suture removal, no additional dressing is needed over the incisions. The patients are allowed to get the incisions wet, but I ask them not to use any creams, ointments or lotions on the incision until they have completely healed (between 4-6 wks).

If you have any concerns regarding these instructions or a patient’s incision, please call Allison Terry PA-C (312-432-2370) or Sheri Lask PA-C (312-432-2369).

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