How Soon Can I Bathe After Having a Fistula Surgery?

Bathing is usually allowed 3 to 4 days after anal fistula surgery. Anal fistula, short for anorectal fistula, is a sequela of abscesses or incision drainage around the anorectal area. Clinically, it is characterized by recurrent drainage of small amounts of pus, blood, and mucous secretions, along with symptoms such as moisture, itching, redness, swelling, and burning pain in the anal area. These symptoms may persist for a long time or recur intermittently. Surgical treatment, such as fistulotomy, fistulectomy, fistula plugging, and primary fistula tract excision with secondary tract lay-open, is usually effective in curing anal fistulas. Due to the surgical wound in the anal area, patients need to rest in bed for about 3 to 4 days after surgery and should wait until a scab forms over the wound before bathing. Bathing too early is generally not recommended as water flow may irritate the wound, affecting wound healing and even leading to wound infection. Meanwhile, patients should avoid engaging in physical activities until the wound is fully healed to prevent wound dehiscence. The wound also requires daily local cleansing and disinfection. Especially during the granulation tissue growth phase, timely observation of granulation tissue growth is necessary to avoid excessive granulation tissue hyperplasia, which may lead to false healing.