Incomplete ear lobe cleft repair with 100% trichloroacetic acid

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONRepair of partial or incomplete ear lobe cleft is a common request in cosmetic surgery. Due to the upsurge in ear lobe piercing, more patients present with complications like ear lobe cleft dilatation, complete tear and mutilation. Many factors such as facial aging, local trauma and mechanical effects of the ear ring contribute to ear lobe clefts. Ear lobe clefts are generally classified as complete or incomplete. Complete clefts are usually unilateral and caused by trauma. Incomplete clefts are usually bilateral, seen in women who use heavy ear ring for a prolonged period. A partial cleft occurs when the piercing canal is elongated or deformed, but has not severed through the earlobe.There are many surgical and non-surgical techniques described for ear lobe cleft repair.1-5 Removal of the scar epithelium and approximation of the edges form the basis of these techniques. Phenol and tricholoroacetic acid (TCA) has been used in non-surgical closure of ear lobe clefts. 3 We conducted a study to assess the efficacy of TCA in incomplete ear lobe cleft repair. METHODSThis study was conducted at department of dermatology, PSG hospitals for a period of one year from June 2014 to June 2015. A total of 30 females with bilateral incomplete ear lobe cleft were included in the study group. Pateints with keloidal tendency, pregnant and ABSTRACT Background:The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of 100% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) for the incomplete ear lobe cleft repair. Methods: A total of 30 females with bilateral incomplete ear lobe cleft were included in the study group. Under local anaesthesia, 100% TCA was applied to the abraded surface with the help of toothpick till frosting was achieved and the wound was closed with a micropore tape. Patients were reviewed weekly and 100% TCA was applied until frosting was achieved, without abrasion on the edges of cleft once a week till complete closure of the ear lobe cleft. Results: Out of 30 patients 28 (93.33 %) had complete closure of cleft. Two patients (6.66%) had incomplete closure even after four application of TCA. Temporary post inflammatory pigmentation was seen in 22 (73.33%) patients which subsided one week after the last TCA application. Minimum number of sittings required was one and maximum required for complete closure was 3 sessions. Conclusions: Multiple applications, temporary post inflammatory pigmentation, inward rolling of edges, mild scarring as a result of secondary healing of the wound and failure to repair the bigger clefts were the disadvantages of this technique.

Environmental assessment and improvement strategies for electric bus operations

“…For analysis purposes, it is assumed that all buses use the same type of charging facility, namely slow charging that requires eight hours to get fully charged. In order to test the applicability of the proposed framework in assessing and improving the green performance of EB operations, the relevant data inputs as compiled accordingly [4,22,30,[45][46][47] 2 and 3 present some of the data input used to quantify the energy consumption and noise of bus.…”