Evaluation of scars after harvest of the temporoparietal fascial flap depending on the design of the skin incision.

Abstract

The authors evaluated the conspicuousness of the temporal scar caused by two incision patterns after harvesting the temporoparietal fascial flap: a straight incision and a zigzag incision. The 27 scars of 27 patients were examined in this study. Fifteen patients underwent a straight incision and 12 patients had a zigzag incision. This study showed that the zigzag incision resulted in more conspicuous scars than the straight incision and that this effect was more evident in younger patients than in older patients, at least in Japanese. In a comparison of older patients and younger patients irrespective of the skin incision patterns, the scars were substantially more conspicuous in the younger patients. A simple and short incision is preferred when harvesting the temporoparietal fascial flap and more careful management is required for young patients.