CORRECTIVE SURGICAL PLANING OF SKIN

IT HAS been reported that sandpaper abrasion of the skin is an effective method for the correction of acne scars¹and tattoo marks.²As a routine treatment, however, it was considered that this procedure had certain inherent drawbacks. In the first place, administration of a general anesthetic, with the known risk involved, may not be advisable in a reconstructive operation. The inhalation apparatus interferes on the facial area, which, of course, is the commonest operative site. Secondly, sandpaper presents a relatively broad surface which makes it difficult to treat irregular contours and does not permit differential abrasion of adjacent areas. The possibility of silica granulomas caused by small buried particles must be considered as a calculated risk. Despite these disadvantages, the clinical benefit in the reported cases was such as to warrant further experiment with the abrasion technique. After five years of trial, a successful modification has been