Photographic assessment of postsurgical facial scars epidermally sutured with rapidly absorbable polyglactin 910 or nylon: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Surgeons use absorbable and nonabsorbable sutures for epidermal wound closure. No large, randomized studies have compared the effect of these suture types on facial scar appearance.

Objective: To assess postsurgical facial scar appearance using either rapidly absorbable polyglactin 910 or nylon for epidermal closure.

Methods: Randomized, blinded, split-scar clinical trial. A total of 105 patients with facial wounds resulting from Mohs micrographic surgery excisions were randomly assigned for epidermal closure with rapidly absorbable 5-0 polyglactin 910 (Vicryl Rapide) on one half of the repair and 5-0 nylon (Ethilon) on the other half. Two physicians (1 dermatologist and 1 plastic surgeon), unaware of the original suture location, examined photographs of each healed wound at 6 months after surgery and graded the appearance of each half of the scar using the visual analog scale, wound evaluation scale, and Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale.

Results: At 6 months, there was no significant difference in the combined mean (standard deviation) visual analog scale scores (83.1 [14.2] and 83.0 [13.7]), Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale scores (4.3 [0.9] and 4.4 [0.9]), or wound evaluation scale scores (5.3 [1.1] and 5.2 [1.1]) for rapidly absorbable polyglactin 910 versus nylon (P = .72, .57, and .21, respectively).

Conclusions: Single institution. Conclusions: Both rapidly absorbable polyglactin 910 and nylon sutures placed through the epidermis resulted in an equivalent photographic appearance of facial scars at 6 months after surgery.