Introduction:

skin wounds are a highly frequent event presenting in the emergency department, most of which require to be sutured by the health care givers available at the moment, while trying to obtain good functional and aesthetic results. This procedure can be defined as the approximation of wound edges by stitches requiring special surgical instruments and sutures depending on the affected area; to accomplish an adequate skin suture clear concepts of the different types of materials, surgical technique, anatomic location and free tension closure are needed.

Objective:

to provide an adequate guide in suture techniques to medical students and health care professionals.

Methods:

a precise description of the different steps to obtain an adequate skin suture is made in this article, giving great importance to the use of illustrations to facilitate a better learning process.

Conclusions:

the results obtained after the making of a skin suture will depend on adequate knowledge, the use of appropriate materials and instruments and the complete grasp of the basic principles in surgical technique. MÉD.UIS. 2018;31(2):65-76.

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