A scab after surgery is a normal part of healing.
It forms at the incision site to protect the skin underneath while it heals.
Removing a scab can impede healing, so it’s best to let it fall off on its own.
sasirin pamai / Getty Images
This setshemostasis, the process of stopping blood flow, into motion to prevent too much blood loss.
What Scabs Look and Feel Like
A scab is usually dark red or brown.
As asurgical woundheals, its border pulls inward and it gets smaller.
This can cause the scab covering the area to feel itchy.
A scab may remain for a few weeks, and it will gradually fall off with normal activity.
This skin is weaker and less flexible than that in the surrounding area.
The scar will fade and may disappear in time.
Some scars take up to two years to heal, while others never completely go away.
Summary
It’s completely normal to develop a scab after surgery.
A scab provides a protective covering while the skin underneath heals.
Try not to pick at a scab and wash it gently.
Most scabs will fall off on their own within a couple of weeks as the skin beneath them heals.
If you have any questions about how to care for your skin after surgery, contact your healthcare provider.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Health Lesson: Learning About Skin.
Nemours Children’s Health.
National Library of Medicine.How Wounds Heal.
National Library of Medicine.Surgical Wound Infection: Treatment.
