A review of secondary intention healing in dermatology and dermatological surgery: part 1
Potluru, Aparna Pawlik, Olga Barlow, Richard Veitch, David Wernham, Aaron
Potluru, Aparna
Pawlik, Olga
Barlow, Richard
Veitch, David
Wernham, Aaron
Citations
Altmetric:
Affiliation
Leicester Royal Infirmary; The Canberra Hospital; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; St Michaels Clinic; Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Other Contributors
Publication date
2025-05-23
Subject
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Secondary intention healing (SIH) describes wounds healing from the base upwards, without direct closure. This starts with granulation of the wound, followed by re-epithelialization and contraction. The surgeon and patient need to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of SIH vs. other reconstruction methods. There are limited studies directly comparing SIH with skin grafts; however, SIH looks to be a robust alternative in specific settings. Well-established sites for SIH include concave areas such as the nose, eye, ear and temple, as these areas give rise to the best cosmetic outcomes. However, SIH has proven to be a successful repair method in several convex locations, including the dorsa of the hands, digital extremities, scalp, lips and eyelids. SIH can be supplemented by other surgical techniques, including purse-string sutures and postoperative de-epithelialization.
Citation
Potluru A, Pawlik O, Barlow R, Veitch D, Wernham A. A review of secondary intention healing in dermatology and dermatological surgery: part 1. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2025 May 23;50(6):1094-1100. doi: 10.1093/ced/llaf018. PMID: 39774606.
Type
Article