What is skin soft tissue dilatation?
It is a method to increase the skin area by injecting fluid into the dilating capsule to increase the volume of the dilator, to generate pressure on the skin tissue on its surface, and to increase the skin area by dividing and proliferating the tissue and epidermal cells and widening the cell gap through the local action of the dilating mechanism, or to expand and extend the skin tissue by mechanical traction outside the skin, and to use the newly increased skin soft tissue for tissue repair and organ reconstruction.
How many procedures are required to perform skin soft tissue expansion? How long does it take?
Two surgeries are usually required. The first surgery is for expander implantation to prepare for the reconstruction and additional skin, and the second surgery is to perform the required repair using the additional skin tissue. It takes approximately 2-3 months between surgeries.
What are the indications for soft tissue skin expansion surgery?
1) Large hyperplastic or atrophic scar on the face
2）Large pigmented nevus
3）Large capillary hemangioma
(4) traumatic tattoo
5）Neurofibroma and partially resectable skin malignant tumor
(6) repair of cavernous defects
(7) Reconstruction of upper and lower lip, upper and lower lids, eye sockets, ears, nose and other organs
What are the complications of skin soft tissue expansion?
Soft tissue skin dilation requires two surgeries and 2-3 months or more of fluid injection for dilation. There is a risk of pain and deformation of adjacent tissues and organs during the later stages of fluid injection.
What should patients with skin soft tissue dilatation pay attention to after discharge from the hospital?
(1) Diet: eat a warm and cool diet after head and neck surgery, no special requirements for diet in other parts. It is necessary to pay attention to nutritional matching and reasonable diet.
(2) Limit strenuous exercise: After the first stage of surgery, except for not participating in strenuous activities, life can generally take care of itself. After the removal of stitches in the first stage of surgery, the time of water injection for dilator patients should be carried out in accordance with medical advice, generally 1-3 times a week, and keep records.
(3) Protection during water injection: Patients should pay attention to protect the dilator from external pressure collision, and not to use sharp and hard objects in the area of buried dilator, such as wearing clothes with zipper on the chest after neck dilator surgery, and using metal type hairpin after head and face dilator. During the water injection period, patients should prevent from catching a cold to prevent the chance of dilator infection from decreasing resistance after the cold. Avoid going to public places and stay away from dangerous activity areas. Keep the local skin clean.
(4) For scalp dilator patients, patients are advised not to wash their hair on the day of water injection and to be gentle when washing their hair to prevent breakage of the dilated skin.
5）After the second stage of surgery, follow up regularly at the outpatient clinic according to medical advice.