Combination of W-plasty and Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Injection for Preventing Rhytidectomy Scar in Asians.

[BACKGROUND] This study was conducted to see if better scar results could be obtained by administering botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) injection and W-plasty incision for preventing rhytidectomy scar.

[METHODS] All patients underwent extended deep-plane rhytidectomy in two groups. Group 1 had a straight incision line, and BoNTA was not given. Group 2 was injected with W-plasty and BoNTA. Photos were taken before surgery and twelve months after surgery. Two aesthetic surgeons analyzed the results using MSS, MSRS, and SBSES. Interrater reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

[RESULTS] Forty-nine patients were included in the study. Group 1 (Straight incision, No BoNTA) had 26, and Group 2 (W-plasty, BoNTA) had 23 patients. The interrater reliability in Group 1 was excellent for MSS (ICC, 0.957 [0.904-0.981]), and good in two of the interrater reliability measures (ICCs, 0.897 [0.769-0.954] for MSRS, and 0.821 [0.605-0.919] for SBSES). Interrater reliability in Group 2 was good in two out of three measures (ICCs, 0.760 [0.423-0.899] for MSS, 0.746 [0.392-0.893] for MSRS, and 0.851 [0.654-0.937] for SBSES). There was a significant statistical difference between Group 1 and Group 2, showing that Group 2 has superior outcomes (MSS, 6.596 ± 1.569 vs. 5.435 ± 0.590, P = 0.001; MSRS, 4.346 ± 0.967 vs. 3.652 ± 0.510, P = 0.003; SBSES, 3.788 ± 0.695 vs. 4.261 ± 0.541, P = 0.012).

[CONCLUSIONS] Analyzed by three dedicated scar assessments, better results were obtained through combining W-plasty and BoNTA injections, so it is expected to be a useful method for improving scars.

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