Minimizing surgical skin incision scars with a latex surgical glove.
BACKGROUND
The current trend in minimally invasive surgery is to make a small surgical incision. However, the excessive tensile stress applied by the retractors to the skin surrounding the incision often results in a long wound healing time and extensive scarring. To minimize these types of wound problems, the authors evaluated a simple and cost-effective method to minimize surgical incision scars based on the use of a latex surgical glove.


METHODS
The tunnel-shaped part of a powder-free latex surgical glove was applied to the incision and the dissection plane. It was fixed to the full layer of the dissection plane with sutures. The glove on the skin surface then was sealed with Ioban (3 M Health Care, St. Paul, MN, USA) to prevent movement. The operation proceeded as usual, with the retractor running through the tunnel of the latex glove.


RESULTS
It was possible to complete the operation without any disturbance of the visual field by the surgical glove, and the glove was neither torn nor separated by the retractors. The retractors caused traction and friction during the operation, but the extent of damage to the postoperative skin incision margin was remarkably less than when the operation was performed without a glove.


CONCLUSIONS
This simple and cost-effective method is based on the use of a latex surgical glove to protect the surgical skin incision site and improve the appearance of the postoperative scar.


METHODS
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Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Korea.
So-Eun
SE
Han
Suk-Tae
ST
Ryoo
So Young
SY
Lim
Jai-Kyung
JK
Pyon
Sa-Ik
SI
Bang
Kap-Sung
KS
Oh
Goo-Hyun
GH
Mun
D002921:Cicatrix / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020405:Dermis / Q000601:surgery; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology