Webbing of the neck: correction by tissue expansion.

The surgical technique to correct the webbing deformity of the neck by Z-plasty corrects the deformity but leaves disfiguring scars over the lateral aspect of the neck, and the hair-bearing skin is transposed anteriorly. Butterfly correction and the lateral cervical advancement flap again correct the deformity and the low hairline but leave disfiguring scars over the posterior aspect of the neck. Recurrence is possible as a result of increased tension on the skin posteriorly. In the method described in this paper, the insufficient skin of the lateral aspect of the neck is expanded by tissue expanders. The excess skin is then advanced posteriorly, and redundant skin is excised following removal of the expanders. This corrects the webbing deformity and the low hairline, leaving a small vertical scar in the midline and a horizontal scar at the occipital area within the hairline.