A little scared to remove my steri strips

wombat 3

It has officially been two weeks since I was discharged from the hospital. The doctor said that I could remove the steri strips after two weeks. I am kind of scared to take them off. Everything in the healing process has gone well. It appears that everything is closed up well. It is a little pink in the middle, but I don't have any extra pain there. Am I just chicken? When did you take yours off? My incision is tender and irritable like everyone has mentioned is normal.

LittleFish1

I felt the same way. My doc said to shower normally and with time they'd start to peel off part way that was when I could remove them. There's no rush and I think you'll get to a point when you are tired of them & at that point, there will be so much dead skin under them it didn't hurt after the initial mental build up. If you have stickyness left over (or want to reduce the stickyness) can use rubbing alcohol to dissolve the adhesive.

cinderin

i took mine off about 3 weeks PP. by then almost all of the glue on them was gone, so it didn't hurt. 

if you try to take them off and they are still pretty stuck to you, i would wait a bit more. 

nikel13

LittleFish1 said:

I felt the same way. My doc said to shower normally and with time they'd start to peel off part way that was when I could remove them. There's no rush and I think you'll get to a point when you are tired of them & at that point, there will be so much dead skin under them it didn't hurt after the initial mental build up. If you have stickyness left over (or want to reduce the stickyness) can use rubbing alcohol to dissolve the adhesive.

This.  Don't feel bad.  I was convinced that I was going to open up and fall out when I took those off, even though I knew I was healed.

Kim22

I was nervous too and also took them off as they were falling off, not all at the same time. Those in the center stayed the longest.

ashleymarie512

My dr told me to take them off one week after they were put on. I did it after showering, but it still hurt...mostly because that damn stickiness stuck to my hair Probably more annoying than getting staples out!!

zbeesma86

Like others said- take them off in the shower- they will peel right off. I took them off 1week after and I would do a couple in the shower at a time-- they started to get itchy!

edit- spelling

Bunnyfer

Mine came off on their own around 1w PP...they were flapping. Docs told me this was OK..

katiedid0907

My doc took them off for me at my 2 week incision check. I was grateful because I find it really difficult to look at or touch my incision...it freaks me out!

MissJenna2011

Mine came off easily after showers around 2 weeks out

amandalgreene86

My doctor took mine off at my 1 wk appt (she thought it was two wks and said oops...she's an idiot but that's another story).  But anyways, my incision was fine with having the strips off at 1wk.

magdalina.h

I've been peeling it as sections have come up, but I think it's nasty so I'm avoiding it.