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. 2022 Nov;63(4):e329-e330.
doi: 10.1111/ajd.13931. Epub 2022 Oct 5.

The winning score

Alistair C Brown  1 , Neil J Mortimer  1 , Paul J M Salmon  1
Affiliations

The winning score

Alistair C Brown et al. Australas J Dermatol. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Incision lines placed at cosmetic boundaries and/or in rhytids during surgical procedures provide ideal concealment of scars. We suggest the use of a 30-gauge, half-inch needle or alternatively the back edge of a #15 scalpel blade to superficially score the skin to provide markings, which are fine enough to lie exactly within rhytids or at exact cosmetic boundaries such as the nasolabial fold or the junction of the cutaneous and vermillion lip. We measured the average depth of these scores to demonstrate that they are shallow enough to heal without scarring.

Keywords: marking; mohs; reconstruction; rhytid; score; skin surgery.

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References

REFERENCES

    1. Dunkin CSJ, Pleat JM, Gillespie PH, Tyler MPH, Roberts AHN, McGrouther DA. Scarring occurs at a critical depth of skin injury: precise measurement in a graduated dermal scratch in human volunteers. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2007;119(6):1722-32. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.prs.0000258829.07399.f0
    1. Kwan PO, Tredget EE. Biological principles of scar and contracture. Hand Clin. 2017;33(2):277-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcl.2016.12.004

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