Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. It depends on whether you have an active infection or not. You said, you had trauma and stitches were applied. That very infection might have caused cellulitis. First, you need to get treated for cellulitis with antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. If it subsides, then only you will become symptoms free. Without all this, it s difficult to tell you how long it will take. It may take 1 to 2 weeks for your infection to subside. If you don t take antibiotics, it can even get worse, so don t neglect it. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Archana