newyorkkopter
12-14-2005, 06:54 PM
Hi, I was doing some car modeling work with a hobby knife and I cut my thumb on monday. Right after the cut I applied pressure and covered with a bandage. The bleeding stopped almost immediately. the cut itself is a little less than half a cm long and half of it has healed and closed. The cut is on the top of my left thumb, like behind the nail on the other side of my thumb. The part of the cut thats on top is less than or about 1 mm open width wise. Its like a mm deep. when i spread it apart i just see a slight red. Should I get stiches or something for this?? Please any help would be greatly appreciated
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_mystictiger_
12-14-2005, 08:01 PM
It sounds like you dont need any stitches. Pulling the cut apart wont help it to heal lol. You need some butterfly stitches. You can buy these over the counter and they pull the cut closed which helps in the healing process.
newyorkkopter
12-14-2005, 09:38 PM
o ok so its nothing too serious right?? What exactly are butteryfly stitches?do they involve a needle?
kehorner
12-14-2005, 09:59 PM
It's too late to get stitches. Those need to be done generally within a certain number of hours. What the previous poster was refering to are called butterfly closure strips. Basically it's like a bandaid except instead of a pad in the middle, it's a thin strip. So you sort of pinch the wound closed and then use the strip to keep it closed so it can heal up.
newyorkkopter
12-15-2005, 08:06 AM
so is that a bad thing that its too late for stitches?? also if you dont use the butterfly stitches will the cut close automatically?
dsheldon3
12-15-2005, 02:24 PM
so is that a bad thing that its too late for stitches??
Oh yes,it might now leave a huge ugly scar on your thumb that will be so ugly no woman will ever want you to touch them with that hand. (Just kidding,lol) Seriously you will be fine, just keep it clean and covered. :)
Oh yes,it might now leave a huge ugly scar on your thumb that will be so ugly no woman will ever want you to touch them with that hand. (Just kidding,lol) Seriously you will be fine, just keep it clean and covered. :)
o_janus_o
12-16-2005, 01:56 PM
I managed to peel my knuckle sometime back. I should have gotten stitches, but waited too long. Butterfly closures are like super adhesive band aids that keep cuts closed. Keep the wound clean, and put those on it. Change the bandage a couple times a day and try to move your thumb as little as possible to keep it from opening up again.
I made butterfly closures out of a regular bandaid since I didn't have any. My thumb healed pretty well. I have a bit of a scar and I can't bend my thumb as well as I once used to. The nerves are really sensitive as well, but, like I said, my cut was directly on the knuckle. You'll be fine. Just keep it closed. Use tripple antibiotic ointment, as well. That will make it heal faster and keep the scaring to a minimum.
I made butterfly closures out of a regular bandaid since I didn't have any. My thumb healed pretty well. I have a bit of a scar and I can't bend my thumb as well as I once used to. The nerves are really sensitive as well, but, like I said, my cut was directly on the knuckle. You'll be fine. Just keep it closed. Use tripple antibiotic ointment, as well. That will make it heal faster and keep the scaring to a minimum.
newyorkkopter
12-16-2005, 05:08 PM
hey, I left the cut open for like an hour and it closed like a good amount. lol, any woman'll feel lucky to touch my thumb :D The cut isn't immensly deep, I can move and use my thumb perfectly. It doesnt come in the way of everyday life. It doesnt hurt, and I think its healed a little. Thing is that it hasnt closed up, will it close up without butterfly stitches??
_mystictiger_
12-16-2005, 08:08 PM
Hi again.
Sorry we call it butterfly stitches in UK. It may close up without butterfly stitches but it depends on how wide the cut is and how quickly you heal etc. You can use a bandaid and cut that into strips and then pull the cut closed and apply the bandaid directly across the cut, making sure the cut hasnt opened. I did this once myself and it healed fine.
Sorry we call it butterfly stitches in UK. It may close up without butterfly stitches but it depends on how wide the cut is and how quickly you heal etc. You can use a bandaid and cut that into strips and then pull the cut closed and apply the bandaid directly across the cut, making sure the cut hasnt opened. I did this once myself and it healed fine.
newyorkkopter
12-17-2005, 11:34 AM
how long would it take to close without butterfly stitches??
chemicalseb
12-18-2005, 09:35 PM
I don't think you should worry about a cut on a thumb lol
Cuts like yours are just ...normal cuts.
It happens, and they heal.
Cuts like yours are just ...normal cuts.
It happens, and they heal.
newyorkkopter
12-20-2005, 06:25 PM
tru, i just freaked out because it seemed deep
chemicalseb
12-21-2005, 05:15 AM
Hehe, Ive once cut two fingers at once about the same ways you cut your thumb. It looked pretty deep, but since the bleeding had stopped quickly, I figured that I would be okay...and it was.
ladonnaj
12-21-2005, 03:51 PM
It's not a bad thing that it's too late for stitches, you may be left with more of a scar though. The wound will close on its own without the butterfly bandaid. In the future to be sure if you need stitches or not, if you can see fatty tissue, yellowish and sort of bubbly,or of course if you see bone, than you need stitches otherwise just clean the wound and cover with a butterfly bandaid to help reduce scaring!