Advantages of A Hairline Incision for the Excision of Forehead Lipomas

Abstract

Background: Direct incision (DI) for forehead lipoma removal has a considerable risk of damaging the vertical vessels and leaving a visible scar.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of the hairline incision (HI) in minimizing scars and neurovascular damage.

Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis was done for 30 patients with forehead lipomas who underwent excision between 2011 and 2019 at the Severance Hospital of the Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea. Fourteen patients underwent DI, and 16 underwent HI. Comparison of the cosmetic outcomes, complications, and patient's subjective satisfaction was performed.

Results: In the HI group, superior cosmetic outcomes, including patients' subjective satisfaction and photographic assessment findings, were observed. In the DI group, there were 2 cases of skin necrosis with scarring change and 3 cases of recurrence. Periorbital edema was the most common complication in the HI group, which spontaneously resolved within 1 week.

Conclusion: Hairline incision using a loupe should be considered as a first-line treatment in the removal of forehead lipomas, because it enables complete removal of lipoma with few complications and minimal scarring. Validation of our treatment algorithm requires further exploration.