PALM DESERT, CALIF.Use of the "nested" M-plasty technique makes it possible to further shorten round wounds when closing Mohs defects, Dr. Ravi Krishnan said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
The technique involves making two Ms, instead of one, in the M portion of the closure. Dr. Krishnan, director of dermatologic surgery at Indiana University, Indianapolis, said he uses a No. 11 blade to remove the Burow's triangles because that blade gives better precision.
"The M portion closes as a broken line, which, as we know, is less noticeable than a straight line," he said.
Dr. Krishnan said he uses the technique primarily when he does not want the closure excisions to extend into an adjacent cosmetic unit, or when he does not want to interrupt a structure such as the eyebrow or the nose.
Dr. Krishnan said he did not know whether his technique was unique, but it has not been described in the dermatology literature.
"It is extremely easy to execute and involves cutting out less skin," Dr. Krishnan added.