If the wound is fairly small, and there is enough looseness to the nearby skin, then the wound may well be able to be stitched closed.

Sometimes though, the wound is too wide and the edges are simply too tight to pull together. There are times when the wound could be pulled together, but nearby areas will be affected, such as the eyelid being pulled down or the nose being distorted. This is when other methods of skin closure come into play.

Please click on a link below to learn more about each wound closure method:

• Allowing the wound to heal on its own (‘by ‘secondary intent’)
• Direct closure of the wound
• Local flap reconstruction
• Full thickness skin grafting
• Split thickness skin grafting
• Forehead flap reconstruction