The following is a summary of “Quantification of Erythema Associated With Varying Suture Materials in Facial Surgery Repair: A Randomized Prospective Study” published in the December 2022 issue of Dermatologic Surgery by Majd et al.
Patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) frequently worry about visible scarring and lingering erythema. Although some research has been comparing the erythema caused by different suture materials, these comparisons have been quite small. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relative contribution of percutaneous nylon, irradiation polyglactin-910 (IPG), and fast-absorbing gut (FG) sutures to the development of erythema intensity (EI) at face locations.
About 210 patients who had undergone MMS were split into 2 groups. Half of the patients in the first group (n=105) had their defects corrected with continuous IPG sutures, while the other half had their faults repaired with nylon sutures. Patients in the second group (n=105) had their defects repaired with IPG and FG sutures. Standardized pictures of scars were collected at 1 week, 2 months, and 6 months postoperatively, and computer-assisted image analysis was utilized to quantify EI.
At 1 week, 2 months, and 6 months, there was no significant difference in average EI between the 3 suture materials. EI reduced by 24.8% in nylon sutures, 12.8% in IPG sutures, and 17.9% in FG sutures between 1 week and 2 months (P<.05). Among the different types of sutures, there was no discernible change in EI over 2 and 6 months. Erythema decreased significantly throughout early scar formation in all groups and was equivalent amongst all suture materials at 1 week, 2 months, and 6 months.
