Usefulness of a Skin Graft Obtained from the Bilateral Nasolabial Folds for a Skin Defect following Resection of a Malignant Tumor at the Nasal Tip

Abstract

Summary:. The cosmetic appeal of the nose is very important, as it is a structure located at the center of the face. Hence, the removal of nasal tumors requires matching aesthetic subunits for the ensuing reconstruction. This procedure often creates large defects that require skin grafts or local flaps for repair. If a large skin graft is required, harvesting of flaps from the head and neck region might have some limitations. Although flaps from the forehead can cover a wide range of facial defects, the skin properties of the forehead differ from those of the rest of the face. Moreover, early postoperative flap deformation may be due to the flap volume and the need for multiple surgeries, leading to vertical forehead scarring. Particularly, vertical forehead scars are more noticeable in Asians than in Westerners. Previously, grafts have been harvested from a unilateral nasolabial fold, but these grafts were small and resulted in asymmetry. Herein, we describe the case of a 67-year-old man with a basal cell carcinoma of the nasal tip, in which closure of the large defect was achieved through excision matching of the aesthetic unit by using skin harvested from bilateral nasolabial folds.