Wound Dressing Clinic in Patong, Phuket: 24/7 Cleaning, Suturing and Follow-Up
Sterile cleaning, suturing, burn dressings, tetanus boosters and daily follow-up reviews for road rash, lacerations, burns and post-op wounds. Walk-in clinic or hotel-room visit, day or night. Clinically reviewed by the Doctor Patong Takecare Clinic medical team.
WhatsApp now, start wound care | Call +66 81 718 9080 | Find the clinic on Google Maps
Most of the wounds we see in Patong follow a predictable pattern: a scooter slide on the way to Bangla Road, a coral scrape from snorkelling off Freedom Beach, a sunburn that has blistered, a kitchen scald, a dog or cat bite, or a surgical wound from home that needs its dressing changed during a long trip. Each of these has a slightly different treatment pathway, but the principles of clean, close, cover and follow up are the same.
Common wounds we treat and how we treat them
Scooter and motorbike road rash is the single most common injury we see. Even at low speed, the friction strips skin and embeds grit, oil and tarmac into the deeper layers. If grit is left behind it tattoos the skin permanently and seeds infection, so the first step is generous irrigation with sterile saline, then careful debridement under local anaesthetic if needed. We then apply a non-adherent dressing such as a silicone or paraffin gauze so the new dressing does not stick and tear the healing surface on review. Coral and glass lacerations from the beach often look small but go deeper than expected and frequently leave fragments inside, so we will explore and irrigate before closure. For larger lacerations we choose between sutures (best for tension or joints), tissue glue (best for clean facial cuts in children), Steri-Strips (clean, low-tension wounds) and skin staples (scalp). Burns are classified by depth: superficial sunburn needs analgesia and moisturiser, partial-thickness burns with blisters need a hydrocolloid or silver-based dressing changed every two to three days, and any full-thickness, hand, face, genital or large burn needs hospital referral.
Severity and the right next step
| Wound type | What it looks like | Right next step |
|---|---|---|
| Abrasion or road rash | Scraped skin, embedded grit, oozing, painful to touch. | Saline irrigation, debridement, non-adherent dressing, daily review for three to five days. |
| Laceration | Clean or jagged cut, bleeding, edges that gape when relaxed. | Irrigation, closure with sutures, staples, glue or Steri-Strips, tetanus check, dressing. |
| Burn (partial-thickness) | Blisters, red moist base, very painful, from scald, BBQ or bad sunburn. | Cool water 20 minutes, classify depth, hydrocolloid or silver dressing, analgesia, review in 48 hours. |
| Infected wound | Spreading redness, swelling, warmth, pus, increasing pain, fever. | Swab, drainage if needed, oral antibiotics, daily dressing, IV antibiotics if systemic. |
| Diabetic foot ulcer | Painless ulcer on pressure points, slow to heal, sometimes deep to tendon or bone. | Vascular assessment, glucose control, offloading, specialised dressing, vascular referral if non-healing. |
Tetanus, antibiotics and what we provide on site
Tetanus is rare but devastating, and the spore lives in soil, dust and animal bites. Per ACIP guidance, a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) booster is due every ten years for clean wounds, or after five years for any wound that is dirty, deep, contaminated with soil or saliva, or from a bite. If you cannot remember your last booster or do not have records with you, we will give one to be safe. Antibiotic prophylaxis is not needed for most clean lacerations, but we do prescribe it for animal and human bites, deep contaminated wounds, hand or joint involvement, and for patients who are immunocompromised, diabetic or have a prosthetic joint or valve. Our first-line choices are flucloxacillin or cephalexin for skin infections and co-amoxiclav for bite wounds, adjusted for allergy and local resistance patterns. Beyond cleaning and closure, the clinic stocks sterile dressing packs, non-adherent and hydrocolloid dressings, suture and staple kits, local anaesthetic, splints for finger and ankle injuries, tetanus and rabies vaccines, and we can perform follow-up dressing changes daily either in clinic or at your hotel until the wound is closed.
When to see a doctor
Most small cuts and scrapes can be managed at home with soap, water and a plaster. The wounds that should not be self-treated are those that gape open, will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of direct pressure, are deeper than the dermis, are on the face, hand, foot or over a joint, come from a bite or a dirty mechanism, or show any sign of infection over the following days. Watch for these signs in any wound you are managing yourself: increasing pain instead of decreasing, redness that spreads more than two centimetres beyond the wound edge, swelling, warmth, pus, fever, or red streaks tracking up the limb (a sign called lymphangitis).
Bleeding that does not stop after ten minutes of firm pressure. Wound deeper than the skin layer, with visible fat, tendon, muscle or bone. Numbness or inability to move a finger, toe or limb beyond the wound. Animal or human bite. Burn larger than the palm of your hand, or any burn on the face, hand, foot or genitals. Spreading redness, fever, pus or red streaks. Diabetic foot wound. Wound from a rusty or contaminated object if your tetanus is out of date. Heavy contamination with soil, gravel or seawater that you cannot rinse clean. These need same-day assessment, sometimes imaging, and sometimes hospital referral.
You are unsure whether a wound needs stitches. The window for primary closure is short (six to twelve hours), and a five-minute look in clinic will tell you whether glue, Steri-Strips, sutures or simple dressings are best. We can also vaccinate, splint, and arrange follow-up in one visit. WhatsApp +66 95 073 5550 for a same-day appointment or hotel-room visit.
Prevention and early self-care
While you wait to see us, the priorities are bleeding control and contamination control. Apply firm direct pressure with a clean cloth for at least ten minutes without lifting to peek. Rinse the wound under running tap water or bottled water (not iodine, not alcohol) to flush out dirt. Cover with a clean dressing or cloth. For burns, hold the area under cool (not iced) running water for twenty full minutes, then cover loosely with cling film or a clean non-fluffy dressing. Do not apply toothpaste, butter, ice or oil to burns. Do not try to pull out embedded foreign bodies such as glass or fish hooks, leave them in place and come straight in. Keep tetanus boosters up to date before travel, wear closed shoes around tropical pools and beaches where coral and broken glass are common, and ride scooters in long sleeves and trousers if you are not experienced.
Summary
Wound care is one of the most rewarding things we do because the work is visible and the difference between a careful first treatment and a quick rinse at home shows up clearly two weeks later in the scar. The principles are simple: clean thoroughly, close appropriately, cover with the right dressing, check tetanus, prescribe antibiotics only when indicated, and review until healed. Anything that gapes, bleeds heavily, comes from a bite, sits on the face or hand, or shows signs of infection should be seen the same day.
“Patients often apologise for coming in with what they call a small cut. Almost every wound is easier to fix in hour one than in day three, so there is no such thing as wasting our time with an early review.”
Doctor Patong Takecare Clinic medical team
Frequently asked questions
Do you do stitches at the clinic, or only dressings?
We do both. We close lacerations with sutures, skin staples, tissue glue or Steri-Strips depending on the location and tension of the wound, all under local anaesthetic. We also remove sutures and staples for patients who had surgery elsewhere. Bring any discharge notes if you have them.
My tetanus vaccination is out of date, can you give it here?
Yes. We stock Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine and can give it at the same visit. For any dirty or contaminated wound where your last booster was more than five years ago, or for any wound if you cannot remember, we will recommend one to be safe.
Can you change my post-operative dressing during my holiday?
Yes. We regularly review and change dressings for patients who have had surgery in their home country or in Bangkok, including suture removal, drain checks and wound photographs to send to your home surgeon if needed.
Will my travel insurance cover wound care?
Most travel insurance policies cover acute injury treatment, including suturing, dressings, tetanus and antibiotics. We provide itemised English-language receipts and a discharge note suitable for claims. Check directly with your insurer about whether they require pre-authorisation before treatment.
How often do dressings need changing for road rash?
Most clean abrasions are reviewed and re-dressed every one to three days for the first week. Non-adherent silicone or hydrocolloid dressings can stay on longer than traditional gauze, which reduces pain on removal and improves healing. We will give you a schedule and can come to your hotel for changes if you prefer.
When is a wound an emergency?
Bleeding that will not stop after ten minutes of pressure, a wound that exposes fat, tendon or bone, loss of sensation or movement beyond the wound, a burn larger than the palm or on the face, hand or genitals, an animal bite, or any wound with spreading redness, fever or pus needs same-day assessment. Call us first so we can prepare the room or arrange a hospital transfer if needed.
Sources
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Wound management in adults. cks.nice.org.uk/topics/lacerations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tetanus: For Clinicians. cdc.gov/tetanus/hcp.
World Health Organization. Prevention and management of wound infection. who.int.
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