title: Scar-length reduction by ring-shaped expansion.
abstract: Conventional tissue expansion with rectangular or round expanders often results in considerable dog-ear formation and, after resection, in lengthening of the final scar. The resulting scar is, always much longer than the maximal diameter of the skin lesion. These disadvantages are partially avoided by the use of croissant-shaped expanders. Taking the idea of the croissant-shaped expander and thinking further in terms of differential expansion, a new expander has been designed. It consists of a ring-shaped expander that is placed under the normal skin around the lesion. When the appropriate expansion is reached, the skin lesion is excised and the defect is closed with a running subcuticular suture, pulling as much skin as possible centripetally. The resulting scar is shorter than the maximal diameter of the skin lesion. The new expander has been tested in two patients in regions that are reputed for poor scar quality (the back and the upper arm). The results are encouraging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tonnard
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Monstrey
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Van Landuyt
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Vermeersch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015626:Tissue Expansion / Q000379:methods*; D015625:Tissue Expansion Devices