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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2015; 42(02): 223-225
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2015.42.2.223
Idea and Innovation

The Three-Bite Technique: A Novel Method of Dog Ear Correction

Omar Jaber
Plastic Surgery Residency Program, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
,
Marta Vischio
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Clinical Surgical, Diagnostic and Paediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
,
Angela Faga
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Clinical Surgical, Diagnostic and Paediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, Salvatore Maugeri Research and Care Institute, Pavia, Italy
,
Giovanni Nicoletti
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Clinical Surgical, Diagnostic and Paediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, Salvatore Maugeri Research and Care Institute, Pavia, Italy
› Author AffiliationsWe thank Alan Serge McGhee, M.Sc., Glasgow City Council Education Department, for his contribution to the submission of this dissertation.
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The closure of any circular or asymmetric wound can result in puckering or an excess of tissue known as a 'dog ear'. Understanding the mechanism of dog ear formation is a fundamental requirement necessary to facilitate an appropriate treatment. Many solutions have been reported in the literature, but in all cases, the correction entails the extension of the scar and the sacrifice of the dermal plexus. Here, we propose a novel technique of dog ear correction by using a three-bite suture that sequentially pierces the deep fascial plane and each dog ear's margin, thus allowing for flattening the dog ear by anchoring the over-projecting tissue to the deep plane. The three-bite technique proved to be a fast, easy, and versatile method of immediate dog ear correction without extending the scar, while maintaining a full and complete local skin blood supply.

Keywords

Skin - Sutures - Cicatrix - Reconstructive surgical procedures - Surgery, plastic


Publication History

Received: 22 June 2014

Accepted: 01 August 2014

Article published online:
05 May 2022

© 2015. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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