Does That Cut Require Stitches? How to Tell

The sight of blood is never a welcome one, but it’s also not uncommon, especially if you have a family. From scraped knees out on the sidewalk to knife cuts in the kitchen, lacerations occur by the millions in the United States on a daily basis!

If you or a member of your family has an injury in the form of a cut and you’re wondering whether it can benefit from stitches, the team here at Michigan Avenue Primary Care’s urgent care center wants to provide you with some great guidelines. Let's jump in. 

Assess the bleeding

The very first thing you want to do after a cut is stop the bleeding. The moment there’s a break in your skin, your body jumps into wound-healing mode, and the first responders are your platelets, which are tasked with stopping the bleeding. 

You can help these cells by applying pressure to the wound as much as you can tolerate without causing too much pain. (Please take note, if the bleeding looks more like spurting, apply pressure and get medical help right away as you may have severed an artery.)

The bleeding should subside in about 5-10 minutes with a little pressure. If it doesn’t and the cut is still oozing or dribbling after 15 minutes or so, this is a sign to come to our urgent care center for treatment.

The size of the laceration

Another good indicator to help you decide whether stitches might be a good idea is the size of the cut. Any cut that’s deeper or longer than half an inch might merit some outside help.

Another good rule of thumb here is that please come see us anytime you can see fatty tissue or bone. Also, if you can’t pull the edges together and the wound is gaping, stitches or adhesives are a great way to close the wound.

The source of the cut

If the laceration comes from a dubious source, such as rusty metal, contaminated tools, or a dog bite, it’s a good idea to pay a visit to our urgent care center. In these cases, we can treat the cut and see if you need a tetanus shot or antibiotics.

Other considerations when considering stitches

There are other instances when we feel it’s better to err on the side of caution and come see us for a cut, such as:

• Cuts in sensitive areas, such as your eyelids
• Cuts that have foreign objects or matter in them
• Deep puncture wounds
• Cuts that become red and painful
• If fever develops

Aside from these guidelines, we also feel that common sense can guide you. If you feel that the wound might benefit from a higher standard of care than what you can provide at home or are unsure, please come on in.

If you’re on the fence about what to do with your cut, feel free to contact us at our Chicago, Illinois, clinic, which is located in The Loop. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, M-F, 8 am to 4 pm.