Though all surgeons close wounds, there are times when the special skill of a plastic surgeon is needed. Their expertise can improve healing and reduce scaring when a wound is large, jagged or cannot be covered with the skin currently at the site.

Each surgery is unique, and your doctor will talk with you about what type of wound closure option is best in your particular case.

Methods

 

 

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Small wounds

 

 

 

While basic suturing techniques continue to be essential, surgeons today have a wide range of materials available, including:

 

• Absorbable sutures
• Adhesives
• Synthetic sutures
• Tape

 

 

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Skin grafts

 

 

 

Using a graft of healthy skin from another part of the body, doctors are able to cover and close wounds where there is a lack of adjacent skin to use.

 

 

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Tissue expansion

 

 

 

This technique allows plastic surgeons to stretch the skin and underlying tissue. First, a balloon is inserted under the skin. Then, over time, the balloon is filled with water. The process stretches the skin and soon there is enough excess to close the wound. The method is most often used in breast reconstructions, but can be useful in most parts of the body.

 

 

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Flaps

 

 

 

During this intricate procedure, surgeons move skin, muscle and/or bone from one part of the body to another area. The flap may be kept alive with its own blood vessels or blood vessels from this flap are reattached to vessels in the new location using microsurgery. Flaps are frequently used to treat cancer and trauma patients.

 

 

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VAC therapy

 

 

 

Vacuum Assisted Closure is a device used to help promote wound healing, through means including removal of infectious materials, fluids and wound contraction for patients with different kind of wounds, burn & ulcers.

 

 

 

It requires indoor stay in the hospital for 2-3 weeks until the wound condition improves and may require a surgery to ultimately close the wound.