Cincinnati — Buried sutures with adhesive strip closure may offer a cosmetically viable alternative to layered closure for repairing excision wounds in cheeks, HealthDay News reports.
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine compared the cosmetic outcomes of cheek defects repaired with layered closure to outcomes of buried sutures with adhesive strips in 38 patients who had undergone Mohs surgery or simple excision for cutaneous malignancy.
One side of the patients’ cuts was treated with layered closure and the other with buried sutures and adhesive strip closure. Patients were assessed at follow-up by a single blinded evaluator using a visual analog scale.
Investigators found that visual analog scale ratings for scar contour, erythema, and overall cosmesis were similar for both techniques.
"Our study showed no advantage of superficial sutures over adhesive strips in scar contour, erythema, or overall cosmesis. Placement of adhesive strips may be a less expensive, time-saving alternative to superficial sutures, at least for cheek defects closed primarily," the authors write.
The study was published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
