Surgical facial wounds: simple interrupted percutaneous suture versus running intradermal suture.

The purpose of this study is to compare the esthetics of scars resulting from small surgical facial wounds sutured either with simple interrupted percutaneous suture (SIPS) or with running intradermal suture (RIS). 93 small (0.6-1.9 cm) benign, facial new growths, mostly (86%) intradermal nevi were surgically removed. Forty-seven surgical wounds were sutured with SIPS and 46 with RIS. All surgical procedures were performed by the same dermatologic surgeon. For comparison, lesions were grouped in five facial areas. Other variables such as the age of the patient and type and size of lesions were similar in both groups. Evaluation of each scar was made blindly by two independent observers and by the patients. Judged by independent observers 90 days after surgery, excellent (45 %) to good (45%) results were obtained in similar proportion with either SIPS or RIS suturing in 90% of the patients. In the patients' self evaluation, excellent (85%) to good (14%) results were obtained in 99% of the cases. Suture marks and tracks present 30 days after surgery in 28% of scars sutured with SIPS disappeared 90 days after surgery. The esthetic results obtained by suturing small surgical facial wounds with SIPS or RIS were similarly good to excellent when observed 90 days after surgery. There was no advantage in using RIS over SIPS in the type of wounds described.