Lambda incision for effective tissue expansion.

By using a rectangular type tissue expander, the skin is expanded as a cuboid. To cover a skin defect effectively, it is necessary to cut the expanded skin and to spread it out as a flap. We designed the lambda incision of the lateral wall of the expanded cuboid. In principle we make one lambda incision on each lateral wall (a total of 2 incisions). However, if the defect is triangular, one lambda on one side is sufficient. If it is a trapezoid, one lambda on one side and two lambdas on the opposite side are used. The lambda incision was applied in 11 cases. In almost all, the expanded skin could be spread out well and the lesions could be resected. There were no complication due to lambda incisions. Copyright 2009 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.