Vicryl Rapide is a new, fast absorption skin suture material. Its spontaneous elimination avoids the conventional stitch removal. The tolerability of this material and the cosmetic results obtained were tested in a paediatric surgery department in elective surgery and in emergency surface wound sutures. Provided certain precautions are taken (tense sutures and sutures of the face must be avoided, since the thread passages are visible in 25 percent of the cases), the material is well tolerated; the cosmetic results and child comfort it provides and the absence of stitch removal makes Vicryl Rapide a first-choice material in paediatric surgery.