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Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Infection is the biggest medical concern in the first few weeks.

• Signs of infection include severe pain, draining pus, redness beyond the wound edges, fever and chills, or excessive wound swelling.
  
  
• Inflammation from wound healing and stitches can cause minor redness around the wound edges and is normal.
  
  
• If you think you might have an infection, see a doctor.

Scarring is a big concern. Although good wound care gives the best chance of a smaller scar, there are several factors you can't control:

• Some African American people form keloid scars during the healing process
  
  
  • A keloid is a thick swollen scar with a ropelike quality.
    
    
  • Sometimes a dermatologist or plastic surgeon can treat the condition after the wound is healed.
  
  
• More jagged cuts with more traumatic skin damage (such as a cut surrounded by an area of abrasion) tend to scar more.
  
  
• Cuts in the same direction as your natural skin lines (wrinkle lines) are less visible.
  
  

There are some things you can do to help minimize the possibility of scarring:

• Infected wounds tend to scar more.
  
  
  • Keep an eye out for redness, swelling, or other signs of infection and see a doctor if these occur.
    
    
  • Keep the wound covered and clean while healing.
    
    
• Avoid sun exposure, as newly healed tissue burns more easily and is often left discolored.



• Over-the-counter scar creams are generally not harmful but they have not been proven to be effective.
  
  
• It is important to realize that a scar will often look red and swollen after suture removal but may fade considerably for up to one year. You might want to wait at least that long before consulting a specialist for scar revision.

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