Acne Scar: Dermal Graft

Abstract

The use of autologous dermal grafts to correct facial defects was first proposed in the beginning of the last century (Lexer, Ann Surg 60:166–194, 1914). Thereafter, many other studies have demonstrated the value of dermal grafts as tissue fillers, and most of the authors agree about the advantages of dermal grafts over synthetic, heterologous, or allogenic tissues, including histocompatibility, long-term viability, resistance to infections, and versatility (Leaf and Zarem, Arch Surg 105:715–719, 1972; Davis et al., Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 121:95–100, 1995; Swinehart, Dermatol Clin 19:509–522, 2001; Gozali and Zhou, J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 8(3):33–40, 2015; Shilpa et al., J Cutan Aesthet Surg 9(4):244–248, 2016). A method is described for harvesting an already deepithelized dermis cylinder, through the use of a surgical instrument developed by the author, in a rapid and effective way, with minimum scar production (Serpa, Surg Cosmet Dermatol 1(4):197–198, 2009).