- 1). Find out from your doctor exactly when you can wash your knee. Do not go by anyone's suggestion or your own desires. Your doctor knows when it is safe to get the incision site wet. Follow your doctor's instructions.
- 2). Do not take a bath with a healing surgery site. Take a shower. Running water is cleaner and moves debris and dirt away and out of the wound. Soaking a wound is not a good idea for many reasons; it can loosen the healing tissue, causing possible incision rupture. Exposing the wound to a warm, wet environment with bacteria from other areas of the body for a sustained period creates a breeding ground for infection. Avoid long-term wetness. Get in, get clean and get out.
- 3). Clean your body as normal first, in a timely manner. Save the surgery site for shortly before you exit the shower. This will give any scabs, debris or other detritus time to loosen and wash away on their own before you clean the incision site.
- 4). Using a mild soap - preferably one without perfumes or skin softeners or any other additives - gently soap the surgery site one time. Do not scrub. Do not use a washcloth, sponge or anything other than your clean hand and clean, warm water. Soap it gently and thoroughly, rinse and get out of the shower.
- 5). Dry yourself as normal, saving the surgery site for last, then pat the site dry lightly and carefully with a different clean, dry towel. Allow the wound to air dry for at least 30 minutes before applying any dressing ordered by the doctor.
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