The skin aptitude for retraction (SAR) applied on mammareductions

Summary

The aptitude of skin for retraction is a well recognized mechanism. What is its application in breast hypertrophy, ptosis or a combination of these? This paper attempts to explore the limits of using this feature of skin in surgery to correct these problems, or more precisely to determine contributions of skin resection and glandular resection in big reductions (in excess of 400 g per breast). Two techniques have been used in these cases: the first in which the final scar is an inverted “T” takes no advantage of the skin's ability to retract; the second in which the scar is a capital “I” without a horizontal component takes maximal advantage of this characteristic of skin. The results of each technique are compared by comparison of two groups of 20 patients, each group operated by one technique, and analyzed postoperatively according to eight objective criteria.