How to Know if That Cut Needs Stitches

It’s easy to get a cut working around the house, in the garden, the garage, or the kitchen. You’re not sure whether this cut needs stitches. Check out these guidelines to help you know if your cut needs a doctor’s care.

Cuts and bruises are an inevitable part of life. If you accidentally cut yourself with a kitchen knife or other object, how do you know if you need medical attention or if you can treat the injury at home?

Our board-certified primary care and internal medicine physicians with Reagan Medical Center provide comprehensive primary and urgent care services, including convenient imaging services when you need them.

Your expert provider examines your wound, reviews your medical history to see how long it’s been since you’ve had certain immunizations, and lets you know if your cut requires sutures.

Following are guidelines to help you determine whether you can treat yourself or whether you need to see the doctor.

Size of the cut

How large is the cut? If the cut is more than half an inch, you’ll likely need stitches.

Size includes depth. How deep is the cut? If it’s a quarter of an inch or more, you’ll need stitches.

How wide is your cut? If you can’t close it easily, please call our office for an appointment.

Amount of bleeding

Are you spurting blood? Call immediately for help. You’ve bandaged the wound. If blood soaks through the bandage or if it still bleeds after applying continuous pressure for more than 10 minutes, please call our office; you need to be treated.

What you see when you look at the cut

Do you see muscle, bone, or other tissue when you look at your wound? If so, call our office right away and come in for an urgent care appointment.

Location of the cut

If your cut is in a visible or tender area of your body where your skin is thin, it’s important to receive medical attention. Stitches help reduce scarring. Please call our office if the cut is in any of these locations:

Around a joint
In contact with a bone
Face
Neck
Hand
Genitals
Mouth
Near the eye

Genesis of the cut

Call our office right away if your cut is caused by any of the following:

A human or animal bite
Any dirty or rusty object

In these instances, you’re at risk of infection. You may need a tetanus booster shot, antibiotics, and stitches.

An object stuck in the cut

If you have a pin, nail, or other object stuck in your skin and it doesn’t fall out easily, leave it there, call our office, and come in to be treated.

If I need sutures, how long does it take to heal my cut?

Some sutures dissolve on their own. We let you know if that’s the case. If we need to remove your sutures, you’ll come in anywhere from one to two weeks from the day you received your stitches. You leave our office with your next appointment.

You’ll likely need to change the bandage on your wound every day. We show you how to do it. You may need to apply an antibiotic cream. We let you know when it’s safe to clean the area with soap and water.

Call Reagan Medical Center or request an appointment through our online portal for all of your primary and urgent care needs.