Tangential excision and dermabrasion in treatment of superficial giant congenital melanocytic nevus

Abstract

Objective Present treatment in plastic surgery on giant congenital melanocytic nevus has always been a tough practice because it is difficult to achieve balance between effects and costs of treatment.This paper aimed to explore the concrete procedure of tangential excision and dermabrasion in treatment of adult giant congenital melanocytic nevus. Methods Taking into consideration pathological examination results before surgery,diseased regions,psychological expectancy and other factors,we used a humby knife or globe grinding head to remove giant congenital relanocytic nevus by wiping off the surface of it in 10 cases.After operation,the operated area of the skin underwent a process of healing in a moisturized state.In each case,surgical procedure was carried out by 1 2 sta ges,with the interval period ranges from 3 months to 6 months.Results One to 3 years follow-ups showed that among those cases,5 cases obtained good results in which skin color of surgical area turned to normal and pathological examination showed that nevus cells disappeared,4 cases achieved improvement,and 1 case was relapsed.Conclusions The two alternative methods for treatment of giant congenital melanocytic nevus,either tangential excision or dermabrasion,with combination of pathological examination results,diseased regions,and psychological expectancy should be taken into consideration,which can remain a maximum balance between effects and costs of treatments.Tangential excision and dermabrasion are effective in some cases of giant congenital nevus where traditional methods do not work,or in order to reduce the cost of body appearance in treatment.Therefore,these two methods deserve to be adopted extensively in clinical therapy.But it still needs further accumulation of experience in practice and longer period of follow-up after operation. Key words: Giant congenital melanocytic nevus; Tangential excision; Dermabrasion