steri-strips - when to remove?

I am now 1 week out from TAH and cannot remember when the doctor told me to remove steri-strips. I know she said they would start to come off but they have not moved an inch. I am overweight and my tummy hangs over it but they should at least start coming loose. I am afraid to take them off.

I am overweight too and mine were not budging either. I left them alone and she took them off at my 2 week check-up. I wouldn't worry about them unless they are bothering you and then I would call doc and ask. Good luck with your healing.

First, I suggest you call your doc and see exactly when he/she wants the steri-stips removed.

My doc told me to remove then at 7 days. However, I've seen at this site other women who's doc's told them to let them come off over time.

I used a bit of Baby Oil to soften the steri-strips before removal. My strips too were not loose a bit. My doc did not OK the Baby Oil, but he had told me to use Baby Oil to remove the residue from the hormone patches. So I just figured it was OK, and I did not see any other way the strips were going to come off without some soaking of some sort.

Call you doc and see what they suggest. Hope this helps a bit though.

Continued good healing to you.

Mine told me they should start coming off on their own after a week and they were still attached when I went in for my two week and hadn't budge an inch. Doc took them off at the exam so he could check the scar.

I was afraid to touch mine too, coming up with many unpleasant scenarios in my over active immagination. Give your doc a call if you want to get them off.

I am 1 week and 1 day post-op and my steri-strips are not coming off and doc. said they would just come off by themselves. I am also afraid to take them off.

My doc also said they would come off on their own. Mine were on for 3 weeks before they started to come up on the ends. Taking a shower every day finally got them moving. My belly was/is very swollen & sensitive to the touch. I thought maybe if I removed them the rest of the way the sensitivity would go away, so I took them off at that 3 week point....no problems with the removal. Weird my belly is and was numb in parts yet sensitive & still is. I wouldn't worry too much unless you see that your incision is weepy or oozing anything. Mine never did & looks great!

I had the staples taken out 1 week post op, then my doc put the steri-strips on. Told me to leave them on for 1 week - then I could remove them. Well, I waited an extra day, then after my shower I removed them - not bad at all ) And it feels good not to have them on!

at first my doc said they would come off by themselves...but when he was discharging me from the hospital (day 4!), he pulled them off himself. unfortunately i ended up with what they called a blister, at each end. these blisters eventually flattened and fell off about a 6 days ago. didn't hurt when he took the steri strips off but it did freak me out a bit...after all...day 4! i thought, "what is keeping me together!!!" but it was fine.

so i guess the answer is call the doc to reconfirm her instructions and just trust that every surgeon and every surgery is different, so we all have different instructions. :-)

Mine said they'd come off by themselves probably in 2 wks. Daily showers and they were still stuck like glue so after seeing pictures that a sister posted here of her incision at 14 days I got brave.

I pulled off one at each end and waited to see if my innards fell out! They didn't so over the course of several hours I gently pulled them off one at a time. And nothing fell out!

And upon careful examination it would appear the glue of the steristrips bothered my skin cuz there was red rough nasty impressions left on my skin. In fact at 6 wks I can still make out their outline.