Spontaneous healing of Mohs wounds of the cheek: a cosmetic assessment.

BACKGROUND

Facial defects after Mohs surgery may be closed at the time of surgery, shortly thereafter, or allowed to heal spontaneously. Selection of appropriate management options requires accurate prediction of the final cosmetic result.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relative merits of treatment options for facial defects resulting from Mohs surgery.

METHODS

We prospectively and retrospectively analyzed outcomes for 132 wounds of the cheek resulting from Mohs surgery and allowed to heal spontaneously. The cheek was delineated into topographic areas and the wound location, size, and depth were recorded. Patients were observed intermittently, and a final evaluation of cosmesis was made after > or = 6 months.

RESULTS

Most wounds in the nasolabial fold and preauricular areas healed with excellent results and half the wounds in the medial area of the cheek healed with good or excellent results. Central and mandibular areas of the cheek healed unpredictably, and results were unsatisfactory for most of these wounds.

CONCLUSION

Final cosmetic results of Mohs surgery in the cheek area can be predicted on the basis of location, size, and depth of the wound, enabling physicians to knowledgeably select the most suitable treatment option.