Hello, I am Dr. Sangwook Park of UK Plastic Surgery in Centum, Haeundae, Busan.

When patients rush in after an injury and I repair their wounds, almost all of them ask me the same question:

“How many stitches will I need?”

I fully understand why. People want to know how serious the wound is — especially how long it is.

But from the perspective of a plastic surgeon who has treated a great many wounds, there are things far more important than the number of stitches, or the length of the wound.

Today, let me clear up the myths and facts behind this question.

The 3 things that really matter when repairing a wound

1. Cause of injury — was it a clean cut from something sharp, or a blunt injury from a blow?

2. Depth of the wound — how far into the dermis or fat layer does it go?

3. Damage to deep structures — are nerves or blood vessels injured as well?

(Of course, there are many other things we check too.)

1. Why does the cause matter?

Because how the wound was made greatly affects the quality of the scar after repair.

Here is an analogy I often share with patients:

“Imagine putting back together an apple cut cleanly with a sharp knife, and an apple that shattered after falling from a height. Which one will join more neatly?”

Almost everyone answers: the one cut with the knife.

Our bodies are the same. A clean cut from something sharp usually heals with a much neater wound and scar than a blunt injury from a blow.

2. A plastic surgeon looks at depth, not length

What we focus on is not how long the wound is, but how deep it is.

For example, compare a wound only 1 cm long but 2 cm deep with a wound 5 cm long that does not go through the dermis. We would expect the second, longer wound to leave the better scar.

And the deeper the wound, the higher the chance that important structures such as nerves or blood vessels are injured as well.

3. Are deep structures damaged?

When people see blood, it is natural to panic and think the most important thing is to close the visible wound as quickly as possible.

But the skin wound itself, barring special problems, heals well thanks to the body's natural regenerative ability. (How much of a scar remains is a separate matter.)

Injury to peripheral nerves (sensory or motor) or blood vessels is different. It can leave permanent problems such as numbness, weakness of movement, or tissue loss from poor blood supply.

That is why, if deep-structure damage is suspected, the internal structures must be carefully examined and repaired first, and only then is the skin closed.

Closing

When you are injured, what matters is not how many stitches you get.

What matters is accurately assessing how the wound happened, how deep it is and whether deeper structures are damaged — and treating it properly.

This is the most important starting point for minimizing scarring and protecting function.

As a member clinic of the Plastic Surgery Wound & Scar Network (PSWS), UK Plastic Surgery looks carefully at wounds and scars after injury from a plastic surgeon's perspective.

Thank you.