Secondary intention healing in skin surgery: our own experience and expanded indications in hidradenitis suppurativa, rhinophyma and non-melanoma skin cancers

• Published in: Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 2013-08, Vol.27 (8), p.1015-1021
• Main Authors: Bieniek, A., Matusiak, Ł., Chlebicka, I., Szepietowski, J.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hidradenitis Suppurativa - surgery; Humans; Rhinophyma - surgery; Skin Diseases - surgery; Skin Neoplasms - surgery; Wound Healing
• ISSN: 0926-9959; 1468-3083
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2012.04646.x

Background  There are many situations in integument surgery in which secondary intention healing (SIH) may bring results comparable or even superior to those obtained with primary intention healing. Objective  To present our own methods of employing SIH in surgical treatment of different skin lesions. Moreover, to delineate the extended indications for SIH as a first‐line method of wound treatment. Methods  Between 1999 and 2009, we conducted 236 operations followed by SIH in the group of 195 patients. Two independent investigators and the patients carried out post‐operative assessment (at 12 months) of both cosmetic and functional results of operations (data for 142 patients). Moreover, at 3 and 12 months, patients were asked for self‐evaluation of the outcomes of surgical procedures using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Results  The most frequent indications for SIH were defects after the excision of non‐melanoma skin cancers and hidradenitis suppurativa lesions. Depending on localization, the mean extent of the post‐operative wounds prepared for SIH ranged from 0.8to 85.7 cm2. The healing lasted 2–12 weeks. The most important factor was the size of the wound (r = 0.59; P