Suturing and Minor Injuries in Point Cook

Cuts, scrapes and minor burns can often be treated at the clinic, where doctors provide stitches (sutures), wound cleaning and pain management for minor injuries.

For serious injuries, heavy bleeding that will not stop, deep burns or a head injury, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department.

Minor injuries and suturing at the clinic

  • Cuts that need stitches
  • Scrapes and grazes that need cleaning
  • Minor burns
  • Pain from a minor injury

Does a cut need stitches?

Small, shallow cuts with edges that sit together generally heal well with cleaning and a dressing. Closure is more likely to be needed when a cut is deep or gaping, longer than a couple of centimetres, or sits over a joint, on the hand or across the face. When in doubt, have it checked rather than waiting to see.

First aid on the way

Wounds are easier to close well within a few hours of the injury. Until you are seen, press firmly on a bleeding cut with a clean cloth. Cool a minor burn under cool running water for 20 minutes, and do not put ice, butter or creams on it. Take off rings or tight jewellery near the injury before swelling starts, and leave anything embedded in a wound where it is.

Call reception before coming in to check a doctor is available to see the injury.

How a wound is assessed and closed

Assessment generally includes checking feeling, movement and blood flow beyond the wound, then cleaning it thoroughly. The area is numbed with local anaesthetic before stitches go in. For some cuts, skin glue or adhesive strips are used instead, although glue is less suited to skin that stretches over joints.

Tetanus protection matters with any break in the skin. Know when you last had a tetanus vaccine if you can, as a booster may be recommended based on the type of wound and your vaccination history.

Cleaning scrapes and cooling burns

Scrapes can look worse than they are, but dirt or gravel left in the skin can cause infection or leave marks. Rinse under running water and cover with a clean dressing. After cooling a burn, cover it loosely with cling wrap or a clean non-stick dressing. Leave blisters unbroken. The depth of a burn decides how it should be dressed while it heals.

Injuries that need hospital care

  • Very large or very dirty wounds, or something stuck in the wound
  • Burns that are large, or on the face, hands, feet, genitals or across a joint
  • Numbness, weakness or trouble moving a finger or limb beyond the cut
  • Crush injuries, or bone visible in the wound

Caring for the wound afterwards

Keep to the wound care advice from the doctor. Timing for stitch removal depends on location, since wounds on the face heal faster than those on the legs or over joints. Have the wound checked if it becomes more painful, red, swollen or starts to discharge, and seek care for fever or red streaks spreading from it.

Animal and human bites carry a higher risk of infection, so a doctor should always look at them. Scars keep changing for a year or more, and protecting them from the sun helps them fade. A cut on the hand that leaves a finger weak or hard to bend may involve a tendon, even if the skin has closed, so get it checked.

Fees and bulk billing

Out-of-pocket fees apply to most consultations, and each practitioner sets their own fees. Bulk billing is available with all our doctors for Veterans’ Affairs patients, pensioners over 65, childhood and adult immunisations and GP care plans. See our fees page or call reception before you book.

Other services