Stitches are made from a wide range of materials, from synthetic plastics like nylon and polypropylene to natural proteins like silk. The specific material a doctor chooses depends on where the wound is, how deep it goes, and how long the tissue needs support to heal. Beyond traditional thread-and-needle stitches, wounds can also be closed with staples, skin glue, and adhesive strips.
Absorbable vs. Non-Absorbable Stitches
The biggest distinction in suture materials is whether they dissolve on their own or need to be removed. Absorbable stitches break down inside your body over weeks to months, so they’re used for internal layers of tissue, organs, and areas where removal would be difficult or unnecessary. Non-absorbable stitches stay intact indefinitely and must be physically taken out, making them the standard choice for skin closures and any tissue that heals slowly and needs long-term support.
Tissues that heal quickly, like the stomach lining, bladder, and colon, do well with absorbable materials. Tissues that heal slowly, like tendons, ligaments, and the tough connective tissue called fascia, need non-absorbable or very slow-dissolving stitches to hold everything together long enough.
Common Absorbable Materials
Most absorbable stitches used today are synthetic, and they dissolve through a chemical process called hydrolysis, where water gradually breaks down the polymer chains. Older natural materials like catgut (made from animal intestine) dissolve through enzymatic digestion instead, but they’ve largely been replaced by synthetics that behave more predictably.
The three most widely used absorbable sutures dissolve on very different timelines:
- Polyglactin 910 (often called Vicryl): Fully absorbed in 60 to 90 days. This is one of the most common choices for closing internal tissue layers and for stitches beneath the skin surface.
- Poliglecaprone 25 (often called Monocryl): Absorbed in 90 to 120 days. It’s a single-strand material that passes through tissue smoothly, making it popular for cosmetic closures where minimal scarring matters.
- Polydioxanone (often called PDS): Takes 6 to 7 months to fully absorb. Because it holds its strength much longer, it’s used when tissue needs extended support during healing.
Common Non-Absorbable Materials
Non-absorbable stitches are the ones most people picture: thread that stays put until a doctor removes it, typically 5 to 14 days after placement depending on the location. The two most common synthetic options are nylon and polypropylene. Both are strong, flexible, and cause relatively little tissue reaction. Silk is still used in some situations but triggers more inflammation than synthetics, so it’s fallen out of favor for skin closures.
These permanent materials are preferred whenever a wound needs prolonged mechanical support. That includes hernia repairs, tendon and ligament repairs, and closures of the thick fascial layer that holds muscles in place. For surface skin wounds, non-absorbable stitches give the surgeon precise control over tension and alignment, which is why they remain the go-to for cuts on the face and hands where cosmetic results matter.
How Suture Size Works
Stitches come in a range of thicknesses, measured on a scale where higher numbers with a zero (like 5-0 or 6-0) are thinner, and plain numbers (like 1 or 2) are thicker. The range runs from size 2, the thickest standard option at roughly half a millimeter in diameter, down to 8-0, which is finer than a human hair and used in microsurgery on blood vessels or nerves.
For most everyday wounds, you’ll encounter something in the middle of that range. A deep laceration on the leg might be closed with 3-0 or 4-0 sutures, while a cut on the face typically calls for 5-0 or 6-0 to minimize visible scarring. The thinner the suture, the less visible the stitch marks, but the less pulling force it can handle.
Skin Glue
Surgical skin glue is a medical-grade adhesive based on cyanoacrylate, the same chemical family as household super glue but formulated to be safe on skin. The most common version, 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, was approved in the United States in 1998 as an alternative to fine stitches, staples, or adhesive strips.
Glue works best on clean, shallow wounds where the edges come together easily and the area stays relatively dry and still. It’s applied as a liquid that hardens into a flexible seal within minutes, and it naturally peels off as the skin beneath heals over about 5 to 10 days. For deeper or higher-tension wounds, glue can be used on the surface in combination with dissolving stitches placed in the tissue layer underneath. It’s also been used successfully for some mouth and lip repairs, though that’s considered an off-label use.
Staples
Surgical staples are small, bent pieces of stainless steel or titanium that close wounds quickly by crimping the skin edges together. They’re most common in surgeries on the scalp, torso, and limbs, particularly in general surgery, obstetric and gynecological procedures, and emergency care.
Speed is their main advantage. A meta-analysis of 20 randomized trials found that staples closed wounds about 5.5 minutes faster per wound compared to traditional stitches. The same analysis found that stapled wounds had significantly fewer infections than sutured wounds. The tradeoff is that staples don’t allow the same fine cosmetic control as stitches, which is why they’re rarely used on the face. Removal involves a simple tool that bends the staple open, and most people describe it as brief, mild discomfort rather than pain.
Adhesive Strips
Adhesive strips, commonly known by the brand name Steri-Strips or as butterfly bandages, are thin sticky strips that hold wound edges together without any needles, thread, or punctures through the skin. They work well for small, shallow cuts that aren’t under much tension, and they’re frequently placed over a wound after deeper stitches have been removed to protect the incision and reduce infection risk during the final phase of healing.
Because they sit on the skin surface and don’t penetrate tissue, they cause no scarring from the closure itself. They’re also painless to apply and remove, making them a good option for children or for wounds in sensitive areas.
Barbed Stitches
One of the more significant innovations in suture design is the barbed suture, which has tiny projections cut or molded along the thread’s surface. These barbs grip tissue as the suture passes through, distributing tension evenly along the entire length of the closure rather than concentrating it at individual knots. Because no knots are needed, these stitches are faster to place and eliminate the knot as a failure point, since knots are actually the weakest spot in a traditional suture line.
Barbed sutures received FDA approval as wound closure devices in 2005. They were first used mainly in cosmetic procedures like facelifts and brow lifts, but surgeons now use them across a wide range of operations, including minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries where tying knots through small incisions is especially difficult. They come in both absorbable and non-absorbable versions, and in designs where barbs point one direction or both directions from a midpoint, depending on the surgical technique required.