Sutures, Needles, and Tissue Adhesives

BACKGROUND: Dermatologic surgery generally requires the removal of offending or excessive tissue followed by repair of the resultant defect. The functional and cosmetic outcome is increasingly important as patients' expectations grow and physicians become increasingly aware of surgical materials and techniques that enable them to repair defects in a functionally and cosmetically appealing manner. OBJECTIVE: To perform an updated and thorough review of the literature regarding sutures, surgical tape, tissue adhesives and stitching techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature review was conducted on-line via multiple search engines and sites using the keywords suture, suture techniques, suturing techniques, surgical techniques, surgical tapes, surgical adhesives, and tissue adhesives. RESULTS: There are numerous articles on sutures, surgical tape, and tissue adhesives, but there are no current articles that review them together in a comprehensive manner and combine the review with a discussion of stitching techniques. CONCLUSION: Suture choice and surgical and stitching techniques may be guided by the TAFT concept of wound closure that recognizes the main function of suture and closure devices: Tension relief; Apposition enhancement; and surface Finishing Touches. The dermatologist's goal is to create functionally and aesthetically pleasing scars for optimal patient satisfaction, which is of ultimate importance considering that the scars patients receive leave a lasting impression of their dermatology experience.