Sutures, Needles, and Tissue Adhesives: A Review for Dermatologic Surgery

BACKGROUNDDermatologic surgery generally requires the removal of offending or excessive tissue followed by repair of the resultant defect. The functional and cosmetic outcome is increasingly important as patientsʼ expectations grow and physicians become increasingly aware of surgical materials and techniques that enable them to repair defects in a functionally and cosmetically appealing manner. OBJECTIVETo perform an updated and thorough review of the literature regarding sutures, surgical tape, tissue adhesives and stitching techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODSA comprehensive literature review was conducted on-line via multiple search engines and sites using the keywords suture, suture techniques, suturing techniques, surgical techniques, surgical tapes, surgical adhesives, and tissue adhesives. RESULTSThere are numerous articles on sutures, surgical tape, and tissue adhesives, but there are no current articles that review them together in a comprehensive manner and combine the review with a discussion of stitching techniques. CONCLUSIONSuture choice and surgical and stitching techniques may be guided by the TAFT concept of wound closure that recognizes the main function of suture and closure devicesTension relief; Apposition enhancement; and surface Finishing Touches. The dermatologistʼs goal is to create functionally and aesthetically pleasing scars for optimal patient satisfaction, which is of ultimate importance considering that the scars patients receive leave a lasting impression of their dermatology experience.