how long does it take for dissolving stiches to go away?

[willy27]

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[flex1appeal]

I wanna say a few weeks is how long before I noticed them gone. I just can't recall. At least 2 weeks though I am sure.

[mmaman]

I thought mine were gone but they worked themselves out after 3 months and i had to cut them with scissors. They were not visible after about a week and a half.

[DrBermant]

How long dissolving sutures take to dissolve depends on many factors such as:

• Size of Suture
• Type of Suture
• How Deep Suture Placed
• Nature of Tissue / Scar and Blood Supply
• Infection
• Injury to Tissues
• Healing
• Skill of the Surgeon

and can take from a several days to months.

For my Dynamic Sculpture Technique for Male Chest Contouring, I use a variety of dissolvable sutures of varying sizes depending on what I am doing.  It is not uncommon for me to use 3 or 4 different types of suture on a single patient.  The smaller the suture, the quicker it dissolves but has less strength to hold tissues.  The bigger sutures hold better and longer but can result in spitting sutures (some suture material spit out by the body during the dissolving process).

Picking the right type of suture and the best size of suture is part of the art form and skill of the surgeon.  As a surgical sculptor, I try to minimize spitting sutures and optimize the right strength for the individual problem at hand.  In some situations, the types of suture will vary from one side to the other.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture