SCARLESS SURGERY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8668, 7 July 1906, Page 4

SCARLESS SURGERY.

OPERATIONS THAT LEAVE NO

OUTWARD TRACES. 1

A revolution in operations has been achieved by a clever surgeon, who has discovered a method of imeisLng the skin without leaving any visible scar.

Well-known operators a-t Guy's and other hospitals have arranged with tihis surgeon, to do what may be described ac the superficial part of their operations, leaving him to begin tihe operation and to aifofcend to tihe concluding pan* of it.

The fact that glands, tumours,- and so forth, cam. now be .removed without there being the slightest outward trace after the operation is the most important item of progress which has occurred in surgery for many years. When tihe operation is made in ih& region of t!he face or the neck the advantage of the new method will be at once realised.

Net a x _ little of the success of this method is, of course, due to the practice and skill of this surgeon, but tlie fundamental difference between the old method and the new is that the new metfhod of skin division consists of dividing it upon the slant, in contradigtanjction to tihe usual practice of dividing the skin at rigjht angles to the surface. The reason why a cut through the skin upon the slant and subjected to properly-applied pressure heals so perfectly is simple enough- Contact is perfect, and the greater the pressure, within limits, the better is th© result. This surgeon made his first experiment with an adapted lhollow-grou>nd razor. He now uses hollow-ground scalpels made especially for him. After fhe operation a magnifying^ glass is used to see that the edge of tlje skin is in proper position, and a rigid dressing of glass and wool is 'used to prevent t3ie skin coonitracti'ms:. In ma/ny cases_ massage is used. Old scars and the indications of former operations cam be removed by this method.