LACERATIONS
Many people call our office after their child has had a fall and ask for advice about a laceration (cut). Although each case is different, some general
guidelines are:
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- Most facial lacerations should be seen in the emergency room or directly in a plastic surgeon’s
office, depending upon the preference of the surgeon.
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- We do not do suturing in our office. Therefore, if you’re sure that sutures are needed, we
recommend going to the emergency room. Some parents ask us to evaluate the laceration here regarding need for suturing. We are happy to do that, but it is a visit with the doctor, and if there are
sutures needed, you will then need to go to the emergency room or a plastic surgeon’s office.
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- Scalps and mouths/lips bleed a lot. We would advise that you do your best to stop the bleeding
with direct pressure so that you can assess the size of the laceration. A general rule of thumb is that if the laceration is longer that ½ inch (or ¼ inch if on the face) and the skin edges are
separated or gaping, sutures are needed. For mouth lacerations, a salt water rinse may be helpful.
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Deborah L. Ungerleider, MD, LLC
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