Incision Care
Caring For Your Incision
These are only general suggestions and your surgeon or his assistant may modify these.
- If you are having any drainage from your incision, the area must be covered for showering. If your incision and dressing is free of drainage, you may shower normally. However avoid bathing in the tub soaking water until after your first post-operative appointment.
- Notify your surgeon or visiting nurse if there is increased drainage, redness, pain odor or heat around the incision.
- Take your temperature if you feel warm or sick. Please call our surgeon if it exceeds 101 F on two consecutive readings.
- Please refer to the post-operative instructions given to you upon discharge from the hospital.
General Dressing Change Instructions:
- Wash hands with antibacterial soap for 5 minutes.
- Open all dressing change materials (Telfa, ABD pads, 4x4 gauze if needed, Alcohol pad if indicated).
- Remove the old dressing.
- If alcohol is ordered, take one alcohol swab and paint incision from top to bottom. Turn the swab over and paint the incision from bottom to top.
- If you do not have or choose not to use alcohol, you can easily use a foaming antibacterial soap and a clean washcloth to wash off the incision. Pat this dry and apply the dressing.
- Re-apply a new dressing such as a large band-aide or the ABD dressing provided by your surgeon over the incision.
- Normally, the dressing only needs to be changed once a day. If you notice that the need for dressing changes increases to more than twice per day, please contact our office.
Please call the office if you notice any of the following:
- Increased redness
- Increase in clear drainage
- Yellow/green drainage
- Odor
