The use of Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The effects on surgical wounds healing after parotid gland surgery

Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients with craniomaxillofacial injuries have an increased risk of surgical site infection

“…Moreover, it has been evidenced that there is an increase in wound dehiscence and SSIs on the mask-covered face (due to frictional trauma by a mask) after Mohs micrographic surgery and parotidectomy during the COVID-19 pandemic. [26] , [27] Because of the retrospective nature, the correlation between the use of a mask and wound dehiscence and SSIs in our cohort was not monitored and is beyond our study’s aim. Another potential shortcoming is an inclusion of ASA I-II patients only, which is probably unrealistic.…”

The effects of the face mask wearing on the surgical facial wounds healing during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Therefore international authors have questioned the long-term effects of chronic use of the facemask: Cotrin et al showed that the patients reported feel shortness of breath, feel discomfort in the ears due to the elastics, dermatitis/skin problems and esthetic issues (2). Moreover, the authors of this paper have already previously demonstrated in a preliminary study (3) the correlation between the chronic use of face mask in patients who underwent to parotid surgery for benign neoplasia, with a preauricular approach, and the delay of surgical wounds healing. In fact, during the angiogenesis and maturation phases of the wounds healing, any trauma to the area of skin involved in surgery will cause the destruction of the small sprouting vessels of the dermis, resulting in a dehiscence (4).…”