Thoughts on Postoperative Wound Healing

From a surgical standpoint we close soft tissue layer by layer to help facilitate wound healing. The deeper layers have absorbable suture. The skin can have a combination of absorbable and nonabsorbable suture, I usually remove sutures between 2 and 3 weeks after surgery. Wounds on the top of the foot heal much faster than on the bottom. The skin is thicker on the bottom and it's not uncommon for wounds to take 3 or 4 weeks to heal on the bottom of the foot. Larger incisions take longer to heal. Some anatomical areas of the foot and ankle have more skin tension and require more protection and more time before the wound is fully closed, and the sutures are ready to come out. 

Sometimes Steri-Strips are helpful to maintain wound strength is the final healing is occurring. If there is tension on the incision site, then postoperative cast boot immobilization or other protection can help avoid excessive stress on the wound, and incision. In general the foot has less blood flow than other parts the body and that is a factor in why the wounds take longer to heal.

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