sive strips to close the
skin's surface and elimi-
nate the "railroad track"
aftereffect of sutures.
After closing deeper lay-
ers with traditional
sutures, Dr. Vagley will
apply skin closure strips
along with a sticky spray
— usually tincture of
benzoin — to close the
superficial layer. These
strips also can work
well in addition to
sutures in the top layer,
with research showing
they reduce puncture
marks and increase
patient comfort during the first 48 hours post-op.
Another option is medical glue, a product that's been improved to be more
convenient to use and work better with wet tissue. While some surgeons are
skeptical, there's been more research lately showing that medical glues are
comparable to sutures. Not only do they produce similar results, they also
can come with additional benefits like increased efficiency. In a study pub-
lished in the December 2014 issue of the Annals of Plastic Surgery
(osmag.net/ozKRK9), researchers note that a new type of skin adhesive closed
wounds as well as sutures did, but 14 minutes faster.
3. Try alternatives
Several new wound closure devices (see product roundup below) promise
7 5
M A Y 2 0 1 5 | O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T
z SINGLE APPROACH Because the umbilicus
is already a scar, surgeons can go directly
through it to perform common laparoscopic
surgeries and improve cosmetic outcomes.
Florida
Hospital
Tampa
