The use of electrosurgery in reconstructive and cosmetic maxillofacial surgery.

The electrosurgical incision is not cutting incision but one that causes molecular dissolution along the path of the electrode. This phenomenon helps demonstrate how electrosurgery may be performed with a minimal amount of scar tissue. The atraumatic electrosurgical removal of undesirable tissue of traumatically or pathologically altered parts of the maxillofacial anatomy allows esthetic results equal to and in some cases superior to the steel scalpel. Tissue undergoing electrosurgery must be adequately hydrated for satisfactory results. The surgeon using electrosurgery must be properly trained and thoroughly familiar with electrosurgical techniques. He must also be familiar with the effects of local wound environment on healing.