Application of soft tissue expansion combined with follicular unit extraction for burn cicatricial bald / 中华整形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the therapeutic effect of soft tissue expansion combined with follicular unit extraction( FUE) for burn cicatricial bald.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>48 patients with burn cicatricial bald (> 25 cm2) were treated in three stages. The expanders were implanted on the first stage. After expansion for 8 weeks, the expanders were taken out and local flaps were transferred. One year later, follicular unit extraction( FUE) was applied on the bald area.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>48 cases were followed up for 5 years with satisfactory cosmetic results. The VAS assessment of satisfaction on hair appearance after three-staged surgery was 8.2 ± 2.1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Soft tissue expansion combined with FUE has a reliable effect for burn cicatricial bald.</p>