[Telethermographic aspects of dermabrasion including the management of postoperative wounds].

If the skin is not cooled, dermabrasion induces local hyperthermia of 36 to 41 degrees C. This temperature goes down again after one minute and is not considered the cause of postoperative hypertrophic scarring. Yet, cooling of the skin during dermabrasion is generally recommended. In small as well as in large excoriated areas, high speed dermabrasion causes a temperature decrease (delta T) of about 2 to 3 degrees C due to the evaporation of exudate. If we assume that the vascular capillary plexus in the stratum papillare is seriously damaged, the subsequent reparation of the upper skin layers must be clinically and thermographically interpreted as wound healing (latent and proliferative period). The exothermic reaction of the early phase of wound healing is superimposed by the cooling effect due to exudation. The covering of the skin defect with the fine-meshed polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel polyester netfoil, Cutinova, seems to have a favorable influence on the wound healing process, if the covering is regularly changed every one or to days. This may be due to the temperature increase caused by the prevention of the evaporation of the exudate. Measurements of sensitivity (to pressure, temperature, and pain) showed that the cutaneous sensation almost completely recovered after about 15 days.