Steri strips and surgical glue should both be allowed to fall off on their own. As one of the responses said, you can trim the edges that are no longer attached to your skin. Removing them too soon can cause your incision to be pulled open.

This has happened to me when a nurse removed steri strips from a surgery and the incision opened. Fortunately it healed and closed on its own.

When I had my most recent breast cancer surgeries the PA pulled off the surgical glue with no warning before I could stop her. When she tore the glue off the incision it split open in the middle. I got so pissed at her because I know from multiple other surgeries and surgeons that surgical glue needs to come off on its own. This time my incision didn't heal and my implant became exposed. I had to have surgery to remove and replace the implant because an unsupervised PA ripped my incision open. I was not a happy camper.

After the replacement surgery, with the exception of surgical drain removals, I wouldn't allow the nurses or PA to touch me. They were only allowed to look and take pictures to send to the doctor so the doctor could decide what, if anything, my incisions required.

Always best to let them check!

I would NOT take this off myself. There is most likely a reason that it has not fallen off on its own.

Call the breast surgeon’s office.
You should have been given a 2 week
appointment after your surgery.

The PA can look at this and take it off for you.

Do it yourself projects do not always end well.

@A MyBCTeam Member

Your first appointment is at the 3 week point in Canada.

In the U.S., it is at 2 weeks.

How does it look? You can always take a picture and send to the office and ask if you should remove it yourself.

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