LAUSR

Surgical reconstructions following Mohs micrographic surgery and standard surgical excisions are often closed with two layers of sutures: a deep subcuticular layer and a superficial cuticular layer. Some surgeons feel the need to place many deep sutures in order to reduce tension on cuticular sutures, as they believe this may decrease incidence of track marks and dehiscence, and lead to better cosmetic outcomes. However, others feel that a higher number of subcuticular sutures increases the risk of a suture reaction, which leads to patient anxiety and poorer wound cosmesis. To our knowledge, there are no studies published on the effect of subcuticular suture spacing on wound cosmesis.