I had my surgery yesterday morning, and I'm wondering how long it took for the steri-strips to fall off for you guys and gals. 2 weeks? A month? I'd assume they only fall off after the incisions are healed, right?

I pulled mine off after about a week. He said wait a week and if they hadn't already came off I could pull them off. They used that purple glue on me instead of staples or stitches and it's been 5 months and you can barely find my scars.

Yeah, I'm not sure what to expect. I think the surgeon (Dr. Benavides) told me that the stitches were under the skin and that the steri-strips/bandaids were at the top. If that's the case I won't have stitches or staples, either.

When you removed the strips after a week were the incisions healed over - Not the scars per se, but just scabbed over and no longer bleeding?

All the small incisions healed without any scars and the strips came of in about 8 pr 9 days for the large incision. The thing I didnt know was that most colloidal scars come from the reaction we get from the internal type of stitches. I have had extensive surgery in the past, one incision was about ten inches long. That healed without any bumpy scars and It had the staples. It is almost completely faded. If I knew beforehand that the internal stitches caused colloidal scarring, I would have insisted on staplels. Oh well, live and learn!

What exactly is colloidal scarring?

I had surgery on a Monday and Wednesday most of my strips had fallen off. Doc had me in on Thursday and re-taped me but by Monday they were itchy and he said take the tape off - I was pretty much healed within the couple of days, at a week only one incision had a tiny little scab.

I had to trim the edges of mine to keep them from coming off before everything was healed. The adhesive caused a bit of an alergic reaction - so I kept trimming anything that peeled up and I covered the whole thing with 3M bandaides while the incisions healed.

I am 9 days out and still have all of my strips except for one. I too had a lot of curling of the strips and just the center that is on the actual incision is still stuck on. It looked ridiculous and dirty from the lint of my clothes sticking to the. Last night I sat and trimmed all the edges that were curles and used rubbing alcohol to rub any sticky adhesive on my skin off. The center of the stips is still on tight.

Most of my steri strips came of shortly after the first week. I had one that hung on for several days after the rest and after it cam off I had a big welt(?) where it had been taped above the incision.

Kristin

My strips all came off by about day 9 or so as well. The one on my longest scar held on the longest, but it is off now, too!

I pulled mine off in about a week as well. It hurt a little bit because of the dried blood but it helped them to heal quicker.

Yeah, right now I'm thinking I'll be pulling them off in the shower in a few days. They're starting to come off around the ends, but not all the way off.

WE tell our patients to not pull them off to let them come off on their own. When they start to peel off on the ends its best to cut that extra part off. I have first hand witnessed someones incision reopen because they were impatient and pulled off their steri strips. It was not fun for her. I personally have had several surgeries and just let them come off on their own. Unless they have peeled off of the incision and just attatched to the skin.. Just an opinion and first hand experience on what I have witnessed. That also leaves a bigger scar once it has reopened.

Mk... Good to know. I'm definitely trying to avoid the 'reopening' of the incision. I'll reconsider my options, then.