07-05-2011, 01:21 PM
dad@home wrote:
As long as possible..... until they fall off on their own.
They are used to hold the skin edges together until the repair/hole can make a strong bond. If you take them off early the wound edges could pull apart and increase the size of scar. It's mostly a cosmetic thing.
dad
Partially agree. You want to leave them on and let them fall off by themself.
Holding skin edges together does not necessarily make for a better scar though-- the main purpose is to protect the wound from contamination until there's a solid wound bed.