# How long after surgery did you remove the bandage?



## VenusElon

It's been one week, and I'm anxious to take off the sterile strip. I feel like it is choking me, plus I'm curious how the scar looks. The doc said it would dry up and fall off, not to pull it off before. But he also told me not to shower for 2 weeks to avoid it getting wet. I didn't listen, so its been wet several times and I don't know if it would have dried and fallen off yet. My follow up appt is Feb 14, but I don't know if I can make it that long. When did you remove yours?


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## Stripes123

My follow-up is the same day. I was told to let them fall off on their own, too...but I was told showering was fine. I can't swim or soak it in a tub, but soap and running water are okay.

I've been taking half a Benadryl on a regular basis because it itches. I called and they said that was fine and to call back if I get a bunch of hives, super-redness or can't take it any longer.


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## joplin1975

I had my stitches pulled out under the steri strips at 10 days. Then we re-roofed the house and I was a sweaty mess. The strips still hadn't fallen off, but were pulling up at the edges. They turned yellow because of all the sweat, so I pulled them off on day 12. I was instructed to shower as normal, so mine did get wet.

Possibly it was just me, but I was sensitive around my scar and it was slightly painful pulling off the strips so I wouldn't do it until 1) you've had your follow up and 2) they are reallllly ready to come off.


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## Octavia

I agree with Joplin. Don't force it. I want to say mine started to come off around 7 days, and it got pretty itchy, so I helped it out a little.

I'm so glad you are showering! Can't imagine going 10 days without a shower...unless I'm on Survivor with a chance at winning a million dollars, and that's a different story.


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## Lovlkn

My experience was they began to curl and peel off at the edges so I would trim them.

I believe the suggestion is to wait 10 days -2 weeks in order to give the skin time to seal together. You are stitched internally so the steri strips simply assist in keeping the top skin tight so you have a nice thin scar. If they bother you that much, maybe it's the dried blood under/around them and you could lightly wash your neck to remove the blood. They are designed to eventually fall off and getting them wet is normal and expected.

I think at my 1 week post op check she said to leave them on until they fell off and I remember peeling them off around 10 days.


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## hyperinnyc

I didn't have much itching with my strip and the water from showering didn't affect it's adhesive strength at all (showered everyday. Was only told no submerging it in a bath). Those things are made to last lol! I was curious about what it looked like too but left well enough alone.

My doctor pulled if off at my followup - 18 days after surgery. It was pretty grimy with the caked on glue but nothing soap and water didn't fix.


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## hyperinnyc

Oh and as Lovlkn mentioned, if you have internal stitches (I did too) the tape is meant to keep the outside closed. Keep it on.


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## teri2280

I had internal (dissolving) stitches, and my tape started folding at about 3-4 days post TT. Showering was perfectly fine, even the day after my TT, I was just told not to let the water stream right on the tape or to swim. I was told that my local endo would pull the tape off at my 4 week follow up, but I MAYBE made it 10 days before it came off on it's own. I was pretty active post-TT, outside doing yardwork, painting, etc. in 70ish degree temperatures, and the sweat made it come off that much quicker.

My mom, however, had the same incision due to a parathyroidectomy. Her surgery was later in the summer and sweat didn't cause hers to come off that early. Her surgeon pulled hers off at her 4 wk follow up. There was some pussing that he wrote her an antibiotic for, and she was re-taped for another 2 wks. He (an endocrine surgeon in Columbus) told her not to pull on it whatsoever. If it fell off on it's own, fine, but she was NOT to pull on it at all. My mom came clean and admitted that she had indeed pulled on the tape, which caused her incision to open up ever so slightly, but enough to be a problem.

Moral of the story? Don't touch it!! Trim it as the ends come loose, but don't pull at it. My mom's scar looks a ton worse than mine does (our surgeries were just 4 mos. apart), and probably always will because of that infection.


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