Archives of Craniofacial Surgery (대한두개안면성형외과학회지)

Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (대한두개안면성형외과학회)
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Is the retroauricular region a suitable donor site for full-thickness skin grafting in the era of mask wearing?

  • Yoon Soo Kim (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine) ;
  • Jeong Jin Park (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine) ;
  • Hyung Suk Yi (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine) ;
  • Jin Hyung Park (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine) ;
  • Hong Il Kim (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2023.03.31
  • Accepted : 2023.04.19
  • Published : 2023.04.20
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Abstract

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the everyday use of face masks massively increased to prevent the spread of infection. Many people complain of ear pain and erosion when wearing a mask for extended periods of time. If prolonged mask usage is uncomfortable for ordinary people, a question arises-how much more inconvenient must mask wearing be for patients with a full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) donor site in the retroauricular region? Herein, we evaluated complications related to face mask use in 27 patients with a retroauricular FTSG donor site, with the goal of clarifying whether the retroauricular region is still an appropriate FTSG donor site in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Complications in 27 patients treated by FTSGs harvested from the retroauricular region from 2019 to 2021 were investigated. A questionnaire comparing the normal and the operated sides was administered. Pain, itching, soreness, deformity, and symmetry were further investigated. Results: Pain and itching were the only observed complications. The operated side was slightly more painful than the normal side in four patients (14.8%), and four patients (14.8%) reported itching on the operated side. However, all patients who experienced complications stated that the pain or itching did not interfere with mask wearing. Most symptomatic patients were older than 60 years of age (23.8%, p= 0.185) and wore masks for longer periods of time (28.5%, p= 0.326). Conclusion: Few retroauricular donor site-related complications occurred, and none of these complications caused inconvenience in daily life. Therefore, in the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the retroauricular region as an FTSG donor site remains appropriate.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2020R1G1A1007678).

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