How long does a deep cut with stitches take to heal?

4–6 weeks in my experience but I never get stitches….maybe less with them.

I guess the best answer to that question would be another question: How good is the sharks’ sense of smell where you want to surf? That would be my rule of thumb.

Wow, you do nice work when you put your mind to it. From the looks of the pics I figured closer to 6 weeks, maybe 8 to be safe. There’s some nasty bugs out there now.

I would say 3–4 weeks, but of course everyone heals differently. Are you keeping ointment on it to reduce scarring, or letting it scab?

It really looks like you may miss longboarding this summer. I wouldn’t go out and risk reinjury. My luck would be hitting a rock with that heel.

I’m no medical expert, but that looks really bad I’m assuming you’re covering it up with bandages to protect the wound. I would. I’d stay off your foot for at least two months, give it time to heal up enough to where you can actually go out and do things again. If you injure that area again, you might make it worse.

Deep wounds heal from the inside out. They form filler granular tissue that builds in layers from the wound bottom up. I’d say be really careful not to tear the or strain the wound site for at least a solid month.

@JLeslie I’m actually letting it scab, probably putting something on it later to reducevscarring.
@majorrich Yea I do, I was actually suppose to go to a longboard event in Brussels(CarFree Sunday) last week sunday but the night before I injured myself ugh.
@AshlynM Omg two months? Boo. Yea I’m covering it up with bandage.
@Coloma Thanks!

Well I’m getting the stitches removed next week tuesday, would I be able to or could I walk on my injured foot by then? Or do I need to keep using crutches orso? Because I’m scared of tearing the wound open.

@xTheDreamer oooh that hurts. I literally sliced 2 of my knuckles off while using a mandoline on May 17th. On one knuckle the cut was very deep and the skin was hanging off. The doctor was able to put it back together with 3 stitches. The other knuckle the skin was sliced off (I found it after I returned from emergency). Luckily I didn’t sever any tendons (or whatever major nerves are in there). It took about 8 weeks (2 months) before I could stop wearing bandages on them. It’s been four months now and it still hurts to make a fist.

I hope you heal soon, but don’t rush it.

I would ask my physician when the injury might be considered healed well enough to risk exposure to pathogens in the water. Then I would ask when he/she thought it might be healed well enough that I could risk the twisting action of long-boarding on my tender heel.

I imagine that the two answers will have you waiting until next season to go long-boarding.

I think it will be longer than cuts in other places because it’s your foot. Every time you step on it you will stretch it. Did they give you crutches?

@xTheDreamer It will heal over faster with the scab, but there is no such thing as reducing the scar after it heals over. Either you affect the scar tissue now as it heals, or you don’t. Since it is sewn, it will only be a thin scar anyway.

Taking extra Vit. C ( 1–2,000 mgs. a day ) along with a Vit. E supplement ( 400 IU’s or more ) will aide internal healing too.

Thanks for all the info guys!

I have a question: after my incident I’m finally going back to school and I never had to experience anything like this, what am I going to wear on my foot? Like should I just wear a sock on my foot and go to school like that? Cause I can’t wear shoes.

If a cast boot is too big, I’d put a house slipper on that side and a shoe on the other. Who knows, you might start a fashion craze! lol

A slip on show won’t work? Like ones you would wear to the beach?

Sorry to be gross but I think your better going naked with the foot.

@Adirondackwannabe I don’t get it? You mean naked feet? Why is that gross?

Just guessing it’s oozing a bit. Gauze only hides so much.

It shouldn’t be oozing much if any at this point. It was sewn and it has been a few days.

@majorrich Haha cast boot seem to be a good idea.
@JLeslie No not even slip on since the cut is at the back of the heel(where there’s wrinkle thingies haha) and down to the heel so the slip on will put pressure on the wound and that hurts.
@Adirondackwannabe Aah no thanks haha, I live in The Netherlands and right now it’s pretty cold and rainy.

@xTheDreamer I assume you are on crutches? Just go naked feet or loose fitting sock then. If it is very cold you can wear the sock and put a plastic bag around when outside to protect it from rain.

@JLeslie Yup, I am on crutches. Alright, thanks!

Is it much better already?

@JLeslie Well the opening of the wound is healing, there has been twice at the stitches it bled a little bit. If I sort of gently touch the wound it hurts but I guess that’s how it should be. I’m getting the stitches removed tomorrow, so let’s see what the doctor will say. Thanks for asking!

I think in a week you won’t have to worry about it opening again easily, although still won’t want to put a lot of pressure on it or risk it being hit or irritated. I banged myself up pretty badly in March in an accident, and the hit near my knee took about three months to not have sensitivity in the skin. Doctor said that is typical where I was hit. It was not very painful that long, just sensitive deep in the skin, hard to explain. It stoll had minor sensitivity if I push hard. My only point is don’t get discouraged if it take a while. I think the skin near your heal should be tougher actually than a knee.

Let us know what the doctor says.

@JLeslie Got my stitches out today. The doctor said it healed pretty well and that I should start walking again but slowly. First on the toes then slowly with the heel but for now toes. I asked if I needed to take any antibiotics or so and she said no. She said I can get it wet now, shower normal and stuff. But I feel like I don’t even want to walk until I’m sure it’s fully healed well.

@xTheDreamer I would not wait too long to start walking. Your muscles and tendons will atrophy and stiffen in that foot. Make sure you move the foot, you can do it while lying down. Flex and point. Keeping the flexibility is the most important thing, you can build the stregnth back up easier than increase the flexibility.

@JLeslie Thanks for the advice! I will do that. The only thing is I’m just really scared to rip open my wound again haha. But I’ll try to flex and point little by little, slowly by slowly.

@xTheDreamer You can wait another day or two, but don’t wait weeks.

@JLeslie Definitely! ;) Thanks again!

Oh, I meant to add. If the cut still looks like it could tear easily, you can buy some steri strips to keep the skin together. Doesn’t matter what brand. Maybe ask your doctor about that. So you are less concerned about moving it. I think they are much better than butterflies. They will keep the skin together. I used them on my elbow when the ER failed to sew a deep cut on my elbow. It was not healing, basically an open wound/hole that oozed all day long) and days later finally a doctor steri stripped it (it was too late for stitches, the hospital had screwed up). In a couple days the skin was significantly mended, they worked great.

@JLeslie Oh yea, they put steri strips on my wound today after they removed the stitches. I was wondering what it called cause I was thinking of getting them too. And now I know! Haha thank you!(:

Sure. Too bad they did not just give you a pack to take home.

my lip got a deep cut in open in i got 3 stiches in the doctor said its gone take only 5 days to heal

Well at the looks at it, it MIGHT take two months!

Hi I have an injury that is very similar except mine was cut by a piece of metal from my apts pool gate that was sticking off the bottom of the gate. I had 10 stitches. I am 31 and was a runner and gym rat prior to this on 4/27/13. At this point I am unable to wear anything other than flip flops. Do you have this same problem? I have a consult with a plastic surgeon to see if there is anything I can do cause other than when wearing flip flops it feels like it is ripping open from the inside out. Thank you in advice :)

Welcome to Fluther, @Lilgemini6.

If you’re hoping to get a response from @xTheDreamer, that’s unlikely, since he / she hasn’t been back here for almost a year.

But if you want to ask this question and get an answer to it, then you’d be better off to go ahead and “Ask A Question” at the link provided. Go ahead; we won’t bite.

@Lilgemini6 Sorry if this is a late reply but I couldn’t wear any shoes for about two months. The way I did it was just wear the shoe and not put my heel in the shoe, just stepping on the heel/back of the shoe instead of putting your whole foot in there.

Xthedreamer. Iv had the same
Thing happen to me on my heel I had 6 stitches and I just missed my tendons. How long did it take for you to walk properly? As I put my foot flat and the floor yesterday and my wound opened up abit , but it’s not bleeding. I’m going back to work on weds after having a week off bit I’m still walking on my tiptoes..

Xthedreamer. Iv had the same thing happen with 6 stitches on my heel just missing my tendons. How long did it take for you to start walking properly? Because I’m
Back at work tomorrow from having 2 weeks off and I tryed to walk yesterday and my wound opened up abit but it’s not bleeding.. It’s very frustrating I’m sure u will agree.

@Aprilgriffiths Yea it was quite frustrating. It took me about 2 – 3 months to walk properly again. Two months to slowly start walking on my heels and 3 months to walk normally again. But it can also depend on how fast of a healer you are. I had to walk with crunches for a month and the 2nd month I started to train myself to slowly walk again with my injured foot but I was using one crunch then.

same thing happened to me but it was smaller and across the bottom of the heal, i have dissolvable stitches and its been a month or so already and they haven’t come out. I’m just wondering if that’s normal, i figured it was cause the skin was thicker there so they used a thicker gage, should i be concerned?

@blackalbino101 , they won’t come out. They will dissolve and be absorbed into your body.

@Jleslie I had a deep cut like yours on the same region…the heel. It was sutured at first but I kept stressing myself with walk. Now the wound is broken and opened. House pls, I’m scared that my leg would not not heal on time and there was a time it was infected but the infection is treated off now. The wound is opened and I’m finding it difficult to walk, pls will the wound heal? I’m really scared

sorry it was meant for xthedreamer