Long-term patient satisfaction with cosmetic outcome of minor cutaneous surgery.
We evaluated our patients' own assessment of the cosmetic outcome of minor dermatological surgery procedures. A postal questionnaire was sent to patients who had undergone surgery between 12 and 18 months previously. Patient satisfaction was correlated with variables, including age, sex, lesion size and site, indication for excision, histological diagnosis and operator. Two hundred and seven excisional procedures were identified in 193 patients. Seventy-nine per cent of the questionnaires (163/207) were returned. Seventy per cent of patients reported that the scar was invisible or better than expected and 9% rated it to be worse than expected. Ninety per cent of patients said they would undergo the procedure again. Patient dissatisfaction was associated significantly and independently with excisions from the back, younger age and benign histology.
Kearney
C R
CR
Department of Dermatology, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. chriskearney@hotmail.com
Holme
S A
SA
Burden
A D
AD
McHenry
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013511:Minor Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology