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Self Inflicted Cuts (including elective Plastic Surgery) |
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| Correction of a 'dog ear' deformity in closure of skin wounds.a) The deformity develops towards the end of the word closure due to unequal length of wound edgesb) The 'dog ear' is held up with a skin hook and removed with the scalpelc) The final result. |
a)
Z plasty is used to obtain skin-lengthening in the treatment of scar contractures b) Lengthening of the original contractive diagonal (CD) is achieved |
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| Wounds which are perpendicular to the natural lines of tension in the skin result in stretching and hypertrophy of the final scar and a poor cosmetic appearance. It is therefore important that surgeons are familiar with the lines of skin tension. They are known as 'lines of election', and surgeons performing elective facial or cosmetic surgery plan their incisions so that they lie within these lines wherever possible. The z plasty is used to dissipate skin tension in wound clsoure so that it can be made to lie within the line of election. This is achieved by the transposition of two interdigitating flaps created by parallel incisions at either end of the wound. These incisions are usually made at an angle of 60° to the wound, smaller angles may interfere with the blood supply. | ||||
| Self inflicted scars site | 
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