Suture types and where to apply
Christoffer Bing Madsen, med. student and Magnus Balslev Avnstorp, MD.
Choose the correct suture size depending on the anatomical location.
| Location of the suture | Suture size | When to remove |
| Scalp | Staples or suture 4-0 | 10-14 days |
| Face | 5-0, 6-0 | 5-7 days |
| Arms | 3-0, 4-0 | 10-12 days |
| Truncus | 3-0 | 10-14 days |
| Leg | 3-0 | 10-14 depending on the pull |
| Foot | 4-0, 5-0 | 10-14 depending on the pull |
In plastic and reconstructive surgery the wound is often closed in two or three layers.
For deeper layers in fascia choose thicker resorbable PDS or vicryl
For dermal layers choose resorbable poly-filament inverted vicryl sutures.
In the upper skin choose either non-absorbable nylon sutures or running absorbable intracutaneous monofilament sutures.
See the table below for a brief overview.
