Use of a Make-it-Yourself Sutured-in-Place Scalp Extender

Abstract

A make-it-yourself scalp extender can be constructed by bonding a small strip of dacron-reinforced silicone sheeting to a long strip of plain silicone sheeting. Two or three such strips about 1.5 × 5 cm can be sutured to the galea at the time of standard scalp reduction and replaced if necessary after 4 weeks with proportionately shorter extender strips. To prevent adhesion of the galea to the periosteum between the strips, a large sheet of plain silicone sheeting is loosely placed or sutured to the periosteum between the strips and the periosteum. The use of such devices should allow twice as much bald scalp to be excised in half the time as conventional scalp reductions.