Treatment/Therapy

As an acute measure, pressure should be applied to the wound immediately to stop the bleeding. This is best done with a sterile compress and a bandage wrapped tightly around the head. The wound should not be cleaned or treated with ointments.

Next, a doctor – preferably a surgeon – should be consulted. The bandage should remain in place until a craniocerebral trauma or bleeding is ruled out. The attending physician will always check the tetanus protection and, if necessary, refresh the vaccination.

Then a local anaesthetic is injected around the wound and waited until the area becomes numb. Then the wound is cleaned and disinfected. Next, the wound is sutured or stapled under sterile conditions so that the edges of the wound are brought together.

At the end a bandage/plaster is applied. This dressing must be changed regularly. Until the wound has healed completely, the wound should not get wet, must be kept clean and disinfected regularly.

Painkillers such as ibuprofen can also be taken. At the same time the wound should be cooled moderately. In general, patients should take it easy on themselves.

Sewing

The edges of the wound can be brought together with the help of sutures. Depending on how large the wound is, several sutures may be necessary. There are different types of suturing techniques.

Single-button sutures or intracutaneous sutures are usually used for superficial wounds. The sutures are usually left in place for 10-12 days, after which they are removed again. Before suturing, the wound is disinfected and injected with local anesthetic so that the suturing process is not painful. Especially on the non-hairy scalp, such as forehead or face, an aesthetic result is very important. Intracutaneous suturing is the best choice here.

Stapling

If the wound edges are well adapted (joined together), the wound is well cared for, kept clean and dry and infection is prevented, wound healing takes 10-14 days. After that the stitches can be removed. The skin is then stable again and can be loaded.

However, if the wound is not well cared for, if it is heavily loaded and if an inflammation occurs, wound healing may be delayed for some time and may take several weeks. It is therefore important to take care that the wound is treated gently until the stitches are removed. The bandage/plaster should be changed every 2 days and the wound carefully cleaned with clear water or disinfectant and then carefully patted dry. For larger wounds this should be done by a doctor.