Prospective study of long-term patient perceptions of their skin cancer surgery

Does taping torso scars following dermatologic surgery improve scar appearance?

“…The great range of movement afforded by the spine renders scars on the trunk particularly vulnerable to tension and subsequent disfigurement. It may therefore not be surprising that patients are significantly more dissatisfied with torso scars than other scars [7–9]. Dermatologic surgery on the trunk is common worldwide, and in Australia 27% of all basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), 8% of all squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), 25% of all invasive melanoma in men and 11% of all invasive melanoma in women are excised from the torso [10,11].…”

Post procedural pain with photodynamic therapy is more severe than skin surgery

“…19 From this data set of 576 patients, we age and gender matched patients that had more substantial skin cancer surgery to the face 2:1 for each PDT patient. The extensive facial skin cancer surgery group was defined by resections requiring closure by large full thickness wedge repair, full thickness skin grafting or larger random pattern or interpolation skin flap reconstructions or axial flap repairs.…”

“…17 Patient pain perceptions may lead them to seek a topical alternative to an invasive approach in the hope that their procedure and postprocedure pain experience will be reduced. 18 In 2007 19 we published a prospective study of patients' perceptions of their skin cancer surgery. Included in those perceptions we detailed the level of pain experienced by patients following such surgery.…”

Suture Products and Techniques

“…50 While simple interrupted and simple running sutures are commonly used top-sutures on the trunk, the buried running subcutaneous suture and the zipper suture has great utility in producing a scar with better cosmesis. 10,45,51,52 The zipper stitch is placed after buried vertical mattress, SICM, or set-back buried dermal sutures have produced good wound eversion.…”