Key points
- A wound is a break in the skin caused by an incision (opening made during a surgical procedure). Neurosurgical wounds are wounds from procedures to treat conditions or injuries to the brain, spine or nerves.
- Keep your child’s neurosurgical wound covered with a dressing and dry for 10 days following surgery.
- Protect neurosurgical wounds from knocks, direct sunlight and pressure, such as from belts or hats.
- Your child should not play contact sports or do any other activities that could cause a head or spinal injury for the first six weeks (until their six-week review) unless their neurosurgery team advises otherwise.
- Watch your child for signs of infection and contact their doctor or surgical team if you have any concerns.
- Avoid soaking neurosurgical wounds until they have fully healed, at around six weeks. This includes long baths and swimming.
What is a wound?
A wound is a break in the skin caused by a laceration (cut), abrasion (scrape), puncture, blister or incision (opening made during surgery or a medical procedure).
Caring for your child’s wound is important to promote healing, avoid infection and minimise scarring.
What is a neurosurgical wound?
A neurosurgical wound is a wound from a procedure to treat a condition or injury of the brain, spine or nerves. Neurosurgical wounds are usually closed using:
- Stitches (also called sutures) - dissolvable and non-dissolvable
- Skin glue
- Tape
- Staples.
How to care for neurosurgical wounds at home
- Good hygiene is one of the best things you can do to stop your child's neurosurgical wound from getting infected. Always wash your hands before and after touching a wound. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
- Keep the dressing on your child’s wound clean and dry. If it gets soiled and/or the wound is exposed, put on a clean, new dressing.
- You will usually get spare dressings on discharge from hospital; otherwise, you can buy them from pharmacies.
- Protect your child’s wound from knocks, direct sunlight and pressure from belts or hats.
- Leave the dressing on your child’s wound for 10 days, keeping it dry and intact.
- When showering or bathing your child, avoid wetting the surgical site and dressing until 10 days after surgery. You may need to cover it – for example, if the wound is on their head, you could use a shower cap.
- Waterproof dressings can tolerate brief or light wetting (not soaking in the bath) – you can just pat them dry.
- If the dressing accidentally gets soaked in water, you can put on a new one.
- Your child should avoid contact sports, swimming or any other activities that could involve a head or spinal injury for the first six weeks, unless their neurosurgery team advises otherwise.
Removing and changing dressings
When changing your child’s wound dressing:
- Always wash your hands before and after.
- You can use an adhesive removal wipe to gently remove the dressing. Start from the outside edges and move gently under the dressing. Some wound dressings do not contain adhesives and will lift without pulling the skin.
- A small amount of blood may ooze. This is not usually a cause for concern, but you should monitor it. If the oozing does not stop, speak with your child’s surgical team.
After removing the dressing
When you have removed the dressing from your child’s wound, ensure the incision edges are together and dry. Then, it is important to:
- Wash their hair and back
- Gently massage the incision site.
- Wash the area each day to help the stitches dissolve and fall away.
Wound stitches can either sit under the skin (subcuticular) and not be visible, or pass through the skin and be visible. For wounds with visible stitches on the surface, wipe the suture line with sterile alcohol swabs morning and evening for two days.
Occasionally, your child may have a non-dissolving stitch; these usually look dark and are made of nylon. Non-dissolving stitches need to be removed by a health professional. Your child’s surgical team should tell you if your child has non-dissolvable
stitches. You can usually get stitches removed at your child’s local medical clinic.
It is important that your child avoids itching or touching the wound, except for cleaning, until the area has fully healed.
When to see a doctor for a neurosurgical wound
It is normal for your child’s neurosurgical wound to look slightly red or raised. However, the edges of the wound should come together neatly, and there should be no open areas.
All wounds are at risk of becoming infected. Some signs of wound infection include:
- Skin around the wound is red and may be hot and/or sore to touch
- A pimple or yellow crust
- Unpleasant smell
- Increasing or fluctuating (changing) swelling
- Leaking clear fluid
- Increasing pain
- A fever (temperature of 38°C or more), confusion, vomiting, severe headache or generally feeling unwell.
If your child’s wound is leaking clear fluid or shows any signs of infection, you should speak with their surgical team immediately.
Common questions about neurosurgical wound care
If the wound is covered by a dressing, how will I know if it is becoming infected?
You may not be able to see the wound, but there are other clear signs of wound infection to watch out for. These include if the surrounding skin looks red and/or feels hot to touch, you see redness tracking up or down around the surgical site,
or you notice fluid coming from the wound. Your child may also feel generally unwell, with symptoms like a fever (temperature of 38°C or more), confusion, vomiting, severe headache or generally feeling unwell.
For more information
- Speak to your child’s doctor or surgical team.
- If your child is a patient at The Royal Children’s Hospital, contact Neurosurgery via the hospital switchboard on 93455522.
Call an ambulance (000) immediately in an emergency.
Developed by The Royal Children’s Hospital Neurosurgery department. We acknowledge the input of RCH consumers and carers.
Reviewed September 2025
Please always seek the most recent advice from a registered and practising clinician.