Purse-string suture for round and oval defects: a useful technique in dermatologic surgery.

BACKGROUND Round and oval skin wounds, like facial pigmented nevi after excision, are traditionally sutured linearly for closure, leaving significant scars, which greatly influences their appearance. OBJECTIVE This article provides an overview of our experience using intradermal purse-string suture for round and oval defects in the faciocervical region to ascertain whether purse-string suture closure for such defects can result in good functional and cosmetic outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS We present 63 cases with different skin lesions in the faciocervical area. The defects of the lesions after excision were closed using intradermal purse-string suture. The wounds showed good final healing without obvious adverse events postoperatively. The result of scar assessment using the Vancouver Scar Scale was satisfying, with a total score of only 1.11. The final cosmetic appearance of the healed wounds seemed to be excellent and acceptable as they were always smaller than the original defects, with minimal scarring. CONCLUSION Purse-string suture enabled us to repair small, circular wounds easily after excision of skin lesions. It is an excellent alternative to other reconstructions and a rapid, simple method to close skin defects with minimal scarring, achieving an excellent long-term cosmetic and functional outcome.