Current concepts in aesthetic upper blepharoplasty.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Discuss nomenclature and anatomy associated with upper blepharoplasty. 2. Perform preoperative assessment, decision-making, and counseling of patients. 3. Describe current surgical planning, eyelid marking, and various techniques used in upper blepharoplasty, including lasers. 4. Recognize and treat postoperative complications from blepharoplasty. Traditional blepharoplasty has often involved the excision of both lax skin and muscle and excessive removal of fat, leaving patients long term with a hollow orbit and a harsh, operated appearance that accelerates the aging process. Current methods of periorbital rejuvenation are more conservative, are based on concise preoperative evaluation, and involve the limited resection of the coveted soft tissue from the eye to restore a youthful appearance. The authors describe anatomy, preoperative assessment, decision-making and counseling of patients, surgical planning, eyelid marking, and various techniques, including lasers, along with postoperative complications associated with current concepts in aesthetic upper blepharoplasty.

Oral nutritional supplementation accelerates skin wound healing: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-arm, crossover study.

Nutritional therapy is critical for wound healing in people with severe malnutrition or specific metabolic deficiencies. Medical claims from manufacturers of many oral supplements are marketed to surgical patients for decreasing edema, bruising, and discomfort. The effect of supplementing nutrients on soft-tissue wound healing in otherwise normal, healthy adults is an area of clinical importance, but little information is available. Proteolytic enzymes have been reported to moderate the inflammatory cycle and may up-regulate the healing process. The goal of this study was to perform a clinical trial in normal, healthy adults that examined the effects of an oral nutritional supplement (InflammEnz, Enzymes, Inc., Parkville, Mo.) on soft-tissue healing times. Twenty-six normal, healthy volunteers were recruited into a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled, clinical trial consisting of two phases, each lasting 21 days. In phase I, subjects were subjected to a 3-mm forearm skin biopsy and randomly received a placebo or oral supplement (four capsules per day for 7 days). After a 2-week washout period, a second biopsy was performed to start phase II, with each subject receiving the respective placebo or supplement capsules. Digital photographs were taken during wound healing in both phases and analyzed for wound areas (in square millimeters) and perimeters (in millimeters). Twenty-two subjects completed the clinical trial. On the basis of wound surface areas, 17 subjects had improved wound healing and five subjects did not respond or responded only slightly to the supplement treatment. The mean +/- SD healing time of the subjects responding to supplement-treated wounds was 15 +/- 2.2 days, compared with 18 +/- 2.5 days for the placebo group. The 17 percent acceleration of wound-healing time was significant (p < 0.005). In subjects responding to oral supplements, less redness in the wounds was observed that may have been associated with less inflammation. The authors' results demonstrate that InflammEnz oral supplementation accelerated soft-tissue wound healing in 77 percent of normal, healthy subjects studied. The authors' study validates observations made that this supplement modulates the wound-healing process and suggests that many patients with minor soft-tissue wounds may benefit from treatment.

Effect of a transpositional muscle flap on VEGF mRNA expression in a canine fracture model.

The effect of sepsis on neovascularization in fractures that follows open fractures is important to the understanding of bone and soft-tissue healing. An animal model was designed that mimics the open fracture and the clinical repair of the human, high-energy open fracture. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA levels in canine bone samples were determined in samples from days 0 and 7. Canine right tibiae were fractured with a penetrating, captive-bolt device and then repaired in a standard clinical fashion using an interlocking intramedullary nail. Animals were subject to one of the following experimental protocols: tibial fracture (group I, n = 3); tibial fracture and Staphylococcus aureus inoculation at the fracture site (group II, n = 3); and tibial fracture and S. aureus inoculation with a rotational gastrocnemius muscle flap (group III, n = 3). Bone samples were harvested on days 0 and 7 and prepared for reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. Primers for VEGF were commercially prepared and assay products were sequenced. The assay products were associated with Genebank VEGF mRNA sequences. VEGF mRNA levels increased significantly in the fracture-alone group from day 0 to day 7 (n = 3, p < 0.05). In the fracture and S. aureus group (group I), VEGF mRNA expression decreased 79 percent (p < 0.05). In animals with fractures inoculated with S. aureus and a transpositional muscle flap (group III), VEGF mRNA expression was increased 38 percent from day 0 to day 7 (p < 0.05) and was similar to the increase observed in the fracture-alone group. These results demonstrate that S. aureus decreased the normal increase of VEGF mRNA expression during bone wound healing. Use of the transpositional muscle flap in the presence of S. aureus increased VEGF mRNA expression over time to the expression pattern observed in the fracture-alone group. This experimental model demonstrates that specific biological signals and cellular pathways are influenced by bacterial infection and type of surgical closure.

Planning elective operations on patients who smoke: survey of North American plastic surgeons.

Patient smoking status affects many aspects of plastic surgery, including patient selection, counseling, management, and outcomes. No specific recommendations for performing elective procedures on patients who smoke are available. The goal of this study was to determine the current practice standards and attitudes toward this often controversial topic. In September of 2000, 1600 members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery were sent questionnaires, 955 of which were returned. Questions elicited categorical answers, either dichotomous or multiple choice. Data were evaluated using logistic regression and the chi-square and binomial tests. Our results show that 60 percent (p < 0.01) of plastic surgeons routinely perform a less than optimal procedure on their patients who smoke. The survey measured willingness to perform various operative procedures on patients who smoke and types of smoking cessation aids offered. Of those physicians who require patients to quit smoking before surgery, only 16.7 percent (p < 0.01) would perform a nicotine test if they suspected noncompliance. Interestingly, 28.6 percent (p < 0.01) of the physicians responding admit to a smoking history, whereas only 1.5 percent (p < 0.01) continue to smoke, compared with the national smoking rate of almost 25 percent. Physicians who are previous smokers are less likely to offer smoking cessation aids than those who have never smoked, and the proportion not offering aids increases as the amount of previous smoking increases (p = 0.02). This study shows that a wide range of opinions exists on which elective surgical procedures should be performed on patients who smoke. Furthermore, the physician's prior smoking history influences this decision. No clear consensus exists on how best to treat patients who smoke who request elective surgeries. Although surgeons would prefer to operate on nonsmokers, they are faced with a significant population of patients who use tobacco. No clear consensus exists on how best to treat these individuals. Advancements in wound healing research and smoking cessation aids will provide more insight into this treatment dilemma.