Citation

Oh SJ. Arch. Plast. Surg. 2019; 46(2): 167-170.

Affiliation

Department of Burn Reconstructive Surgery, Bestian Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons)

DOI

10.5999/aps.2018.00871

PMID

30934182

Abstract

Full-thickness scalp burns secondary to hair coloring are rare; however, such defects can be large and complex reconstruction of hair-bearing tissue may be necessary. Many skin-stretching devices that use gradual traction have been applied to take advantage of the viscoelastic properties of the skin. A 21-year-old female patient was seen with a burn defect on her occipital scalp leading to exposed subcutaneous tissue after chemical application of hair coloring in a salon. The dimensions of the wound were 10 cm×5 cm, and a skin graft or flap would have been necessary to close the defect. Two long transfixing K-wires (1.4 mm) and paired 3-wire threads (23 gauge), which are readily available in most hospitals, were applied over a period of 12 days for trichophytic closure of the defect. The remaining scalp scars after primary trichophytic closure with this skin-stretching method were refined with hair follicle transplantation. This skin-stretching method is simple to apply and valuable for helping to close problematic areas of skin shortage that would otherwise require more complicated procedures. This case shows a relatively unknown complication of hair coloring and its treatment.

Language: en

Keywords

Burns, chemical; Hair follicle; Scalp defect; Transplantation; Wound healing