Surgical Treatment of Dermatomal Capillary Malformations in the Adult Face

Background Facial capillary malformations (CMs) rarely recede; they often become darker and raised in proportion to their growth. These malformations may hypertrophy in adulthood, resulting in increased disfigurement and dysfunction. Laser treatment is considered a first-line therapy for focal CMs, but thick wide lesions, which are accompanied by hypertrophy and have a well-circumscribed nodularity, may be treated with surgical excision and reconstruction.

Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 25 consecutive patients who had undergone complete or partial excisions of facial capillary malformations in our unit. After the excisions, the defects that encompassed their facial aesthetic units were subsequently covered by various methods, including primary closures, local flaps, expanded flaps, split-thickness skin grafts, and full thickness skin grafts.

Results The data demonstrated satisfactory results and reliability. Our patients were treated without significant complications, and all of the patients were moderately or fully satisfied with the outcome of their surgeries.

Conclusions Among the many reconstructive options for adult patients with facial capillary malformations, thick split-thickness skin grafts can be a good choice for the coverage of widely excised wounds.

Keywords

Vascular malformations - Skin transplantation - Surgical flap

This article was presented at the 67th Congress of The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons on November 19-21, 2009 in Seoul, Korea.

Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 01. Oktober 2011

Angenommen: 02. Februar 2012

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
24. April 2022

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