Serially expanded flap use to treat large hairless scalp lesions

• Published in: Archives of craniofacial surgery Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 408 - 411
• Main Authors: Shin, Dongwoo, Kim, Yong Hun, Song, Han Gyeol, Hong, Jong Won
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association 01.12.2019; 대한두개안면성형외과학회
• Subjects: Case Report; 성형외과학; Scalp; Tissue expansion; Alopecia
• ISSN: 2287-1152; 2287-5603
• DOI: 10.7181/acfs.2019.00500

Hairless scalp areas can occur due to trauma, tumors, or congenital disease. This aesthetically unpleasing condition can lead to psychosocial distress, and thin skin flaps may be prone to scarring. Treating the hairless scalp by simple excision is challenging because of skin tension. Tissue expanders are a good option for hairless scalp resurfacing. However, a single expansion may be inadequate to cover the entire defect. This report describes good results obtained using a serial resurfacing method involving re-expansion of the flap with a tissue expander to treat two patients with large lesions: one due to aplasia cutis congenital and another who underwent dermatofibrosarcoma protuberance resection. The results suggest that scalp resurfacing by serial tissue expansion using a tissue expander can be used for extensive lesions.