A comparison of deepithelialization and deskinning in inferior pedicle breast reduction.

To test the hypothesis that deskinning instead of deepithelializing the pedicle can save time when using the inferior pedicle technique of breast reduction without incurring added risk, a comparison of deskinning with deepithelialization was performed in nine patients undergoing breast reduction. Each patient served as her own control. No increase in complications or decrease in the quality of result ensued from use of the deskinning technique. The savings in time, however, was relatively insignificant, and several other minor disadvantages outweighed the gain, so that this author has chosen to continue to use the traditional deepithelialization of the pedicle when performing breast reduction surgery.