Equipment Used for Plastic Dermatology

Introduction:

Plastic surgery is a specialty wherein surgical procedure are done for the reconstruction of facial and body defects and deformities due to the following:

• Birth disorders.

• Trauma.

• Burns.

• Diseases.

Plastic surgery is used to correct the dysfunctional areas of the body parts and reconstructive procedures.

What Is Plastic Surgery?

Plastic surgery is one of the types of surgical procedures to repair or replace the skin that has been damaged or to improve people's appearance. Surgery is done using various equipment and minor surgical instruments, which are performed based on the type of injury and scar produced on the particular body part.

What Is Scar Revision Surgery?

When the wound heals, the tissue begins to grow around the wound by protecting and replacing the damaged skin. Fibrous tissue settles when a scar develops. Scar revision surgery can help in restoring some functions to an area. However, when the scar tissue grows, it reduces or stops normal functioning.

What Are the Types of Plastic Surgery for Scars?

There are many options to choose from while changing the appearance of the scar.

• Corticosteroid Injection - Corticosteroid injections into the scars are the standard first-line treatment of certain kinds of scars, including hypertrophic and keloid scars.

• Bleomycin Injections - These injections help improve the appearance of hypertrophic scars in people with darker skin at risk of increased skin pigmentation. Injecting the Bleomycin injection into the keloid scar is safe and effective.

What Are Laser Treatments?

Laser treatments are used in resurfacing some types of scars and make them flattened, smoother, and less noticeable. Multiple sessions may be required for the best results.

Other Resurfacing Procedures:

Other surgical procedures, such as,

• Chemical peeling.

• Microdermabrasion.

• Dermabrasion is used.

They are even used to treat acne scars by removing the top layer of the skin to smooth it out. Resurfacing is best used on scars that are already flat.

What Is Microneedling in Plastic Surgery?

Microneedling is a procedure in which a device with small needles is rolled over the skin. The needle pricks the skin and helps stimulate collagen growth to make the skin smoother. Radiation micro-needling uses radiofrequency waves through the needle to improve the procedure.

What Is Cryosurgery?

Cryosurgery is a procedure that involves swabbing or spraying liquid nitrogen on the scar surface to freeze it. However, it is not advised for people with dark skin.

What Are the Types of Scars That Can Be Treated With Plastic Surgery?

One can treat some scars with topical treatments or injections. In addition, one can have these types of scars to discuss with the dermatologist what kind of surgery will be effective.

Discoloration or the surface irregularities, such as,

• Some Incision Scars - Decolorization of the surface irregularities may be due to surgical incisions during procedures, and that will be fading too slowly.

• Hypertrophic Scars - These types of scars are formed at the site of a wound that is often red or pink. They also can vary in color and appear darker or lighter.

• Keloid Scars - A keloid scar is a fibrous type of scar tissue that forms as smooth and hard growth after a wound has been healed. This scar tissue tends to be larger and more raised than hypertrophic scars. They tend to grow beyond the borders of the injured site. These scars have a higher recurrence rate than hypertrophic scars. Doctors' first line of treatment is corticosteroid injections that may help cut the scar, called excision. Then the keloid recurs after the excision procedure. The definitive treatment is to cut it out again and provide immediate radiation therapy.

• Contractures - These are the scars formed after the burn injury, where the elastic tissues are replaced by fibrous tissue present before the injury. So due to the inelasticity of the tissues, they are called contractures. The affected area's muscles, tendons, and joints show stiffness and regular restricted movements.

What Are the Equipment Used in Plastic Surgery?

The types of instruments used in plastic surgery are listed below:

• Awls - Surgical awl is used for orthopedic surgical procedures to create or enlarge holes in the bone. This awl has a cutting-edge tip and a shaft. The cutting edge has a working end and an opposite attachment end that works by mechanically locking it in place to a recess formed at the end of the shaft opposite the handle.

• Chisels - Surgical chisels are used in various bone-cutting surgical procedures for reshaping and manipulating.

• Curettes - A surgical instrument used to remove skin and tissues and to take a biopsy in case of cutaneous lesions curette is used as a multipurpose instrument.

• Gouges - A bone gouge is a hollow chisel used to cut or remove portions of the bone. It is used in notchplasty to restrict and remove the notch fragments. In addition, it is also used in other orthopedic procedures to contour or remove cement.

• Mallets - Mallets and hammers used in plastic surgery are made of stainless steel. They are used for scraping, slicing, or cutting bone in orthopedic surgical procedures. The mallet gives controlled tapping or pressure on osteotomy or chisel.

• Pilers - Orthopedic pliers are used in surgical procedures for:

  • Twisting.

  • Cutting or crimping.

  • Removing pins.

  • Gripping and handling the tissues.

Mainly they are used to stiffen or for cutting the wires in surgical procedures.

• Osteotomes - Osteotome is mainly used for bone-cutting surgical procedures.

• Rasps - Bone rasps have small teeth-like protrusions used for filing, smoothening the sharp edges in the bone to prevent damaging the soft tissues.

• Rongeurs - Sharp edges instruments shaped like a scoop used for opening a window in the bone or skull to access the tissues under the bone surface.

• Wire - Kirschner wires or k-wires or pins are sterilized, smooth, and sharp wires used to hold the bone or tissues properly.

• Pin Instruments - Surgical metal pins fix broken bones during surgical procedures. These pins may hold the bones while they are healing.

Other types of equipment used in plastic surgery are the following:

• Handheld Doppler: It is a small portable ultrasound device to detect blood flow. This works by transmitting higher-frequency sound waves through the tissues by collecting the reflected signals.

• Electronic Tourniquet: A device used to apply pressure to stop the blood flow during emergency surgical procedures or in post-operative rehabilitation.

• Micro Instruments Set: Micro instrument set is designed especially for significantly smaller body tissues during surgical procedures.

• Liposuction Machine: The liposuction machine removes excess body fat by using suction in plastic surgical procedures.

• Operating Magnifying Loop: Operating magnifying loops have a magnification of 2.5x to 5x, whereas the microscopes provide about 6x to 40x. These magnifying loops are custom-made based on the distance between the vision and interpupillary distance to view the depth and working distance.

• Operating Microscope: This optical instrument produces a high-quality, magnified, and illuminated image of the smaller structures in the surgical area.

• Plastic Shower Trolley: Plastic shower trolley was draped with a sterilized disposable plastic sheet before showering to decrease the bacteria seeding in open burn wounds used in burned patients.

• Skin Graft Mesher: Healthy skin is removed from the unaffected area and used to cover the lost or damaged area. Meshing allows the graft to cover more significant defects.

• Electronic Dermatome: Electronic dermatome cuts the skin into thin slices from the donor area to reconstitute skin areas damaged by burns or trauma. This provides high-quality skin grafts at a lower cost.

Conclusion

Diagnosing the type of scars and appropriate usage of instruments and equipment plays a significant role in plastic surgical procedures that become effective and successful. The common equipment used in plastic surgery are awls, chisels, curettes, gouges, mallets, and pilers.