Closing the skin in a straight line – or a linear closure – is one of the easiest and most common approaches to repairing a wound after a skin cancer has been removed by Mohs Surgery. This option for closing and repairing the skin after is one of the first methods considered when there is enough surrounding tissue to close the wound. Here, a wound is simply pulled together from side to side and secured with stitches.
Because many of the wounds left behind after a skin cancer is removed are round or oval in shape, some additional surgery needs to be done in order to ensure the absolute best healing and outcome with a linear closure. If you pull a circle together side-to-side, you get pleats or puckers on the skin. In medicine, these redundancies are referred to as “dog ears.” In order to eliminate these pleats, the circle is often elongated into a football-shaped ellipse. when the sides of the ellipse are pulled together, the incision line lies flat on the skin, with minimal disruption of the skin surface. The incision line does end up being longer than the original diameter of the circle, but in the end it is less noticeable.
Linear closures are one of the simplest repairs and can produce great cosmetic outcomes with minimal scarring. While this may be a desired closure it is not always a feasible option depending on the area and size of the wound that remains after the skin cancer is removed; therefore, another closure and reconstructive surgery technique may be used.
If you have been diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma skin cancer, or if you would like to schedule a consultation our skin cancer expert, please contact us today.
About the Author:
Dr. Adam Mamelak is a skin cancer specialist and reconstructive skin surgeon. Dr. Mamelak lectures and teaches about skin cancer detection and the best ways to protect yourself from the sun.
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