Surgical incisionsrequire daily care for heal quickly and completely without becoming infected.
A quick wash under the water is not adequate to protect your wound frominfection.
Be sure to rinse your incision well to check that no soap residue remains after showering.
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Applying a small amount of soap and rinsing it well should be adequate.
Take care not to scrub the incision, which mayremove scabs, slow healing, and irritate the incision.
Scrubbing can cause them to fall off, leaving yourincision vulnerable to openingwhen it should be closing.
Cleanliness is key to preventing infection.
Some redness along the incision line is normal and should diminish as the incision heals.
Increasing redness, especially if the incision feels warm, can indicate the beginnings of an infection.
Drainage from the woundmay also indicate an infection.
A healthy incision will be well-approximated, meaning that the edges meet neatly and closely.
Straining to have a bowel movement, sneezing, and coughing can cause the incision to open.
Preventing Injury to Your Incision
Part of good incision care is preventing an injury to your incision.
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