Hi,I am Dr. Shanthi.E (General & Family Physician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
I have 2 cuts from self harming they are fairly deep (cut through to the fat) and did now have stitches. They were done 2 and 3 weeks ago but are not healed and are leaking yellow fluid does this mean they re infected? They have been permanently covered.
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.
If there is fluid collecting in the stitched area, then it is important to remove a couple of sutures to let out the fluid. It is also important to take a swab or tissue from the ulcer and send for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity, and the doctor can prescribe antibiotics accordingly.
Please clean and dress the ulcer daily with either 5% betadine solution, Mupirocin ointment or Metrogel gel. It would be good if you consult a general surgeon who can examine the ulcer and do all these necessary procedures and advise you and manage the wound properly so that it heals in good time.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards, Dr. Ajit Kumar Varma
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How Can Infected Skin Cuts Be Treated?
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. If there is fluid collecting in the stitched area, then it is important to remove a couple of sutures to let out the fluid. It is also important to take a swab or tissue from the ulcer and send for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity, and the doctor can prescribe antibiotics accordingly. Please clean and dress the ulcer daily with either 5% betadine solution, Mupirocin ointment or Metrogel gel. It would be good if you consult a general surgeon who can examine the ulcer and do all these necessary procedures and advise you and manage the wound properly so that it heals in good time. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Ajit Kumar Varma