Abstract
The aesthetic expectations of nasal repair include symmetry, natural contour, excellent color and texture match, and a final product that remains inconspicuous to the casual observer. Reconstruction based on the aesthetic subunit principle has yielded good aesthetic outcomes in patients.
A retrospective investigation was performed of the patients who underwent resection of malignant skin tumors of the nose at our institutes during the past 8 years.
Based on nasal aesthetic sub-unit, 32 patients were divided into 4 groups according to their nasal defects. They were nasal dorsum, tip, alar lobule, and two or two above nasal subunit defects groups.
We tended to use a front nasal flap to reconstruct the nasal tip, a skin graft to reconstruct the dorsum, and a nasolabial flap to reconstruct an ala and a sidewall. A combination of flaps was used when the defect involved more than one unit.
In general, the surgeon should approach each patient as a distinct individual with a unique defect and thus tailor each reconstruction to fit the patient's needs and expectations.
Candidates for reconstruction should be selected on the basis of nasal structure and the local flap or skin graft feature.[Skin Cancer (Japan) 2010 ; 25 : 331-338]
