RT Book, Section A1 Goldman, Glenn D. A1 Dzubow, Leonard M. A1 Yelverton, Christopher B. SR Print(0) ID 1172749060 T1 Rotation Flaps T2 Facial Flap Surgery YR 2013 FD 2013 PB McGraw Hill LLC PP New York, NY SN 9780071749251 LK dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1172749060 RD 2024/03/28 AB Wounds that are too tight to close in one direction can frequently be repaired by redirecting tension vectors away from the primary motion. Rotation is the simplest method of redirecting tension vectors and reducing wound closure tensions.1 The design of a traditional rotation flap utilizes a curvilinear incision along an arc adjacent to the primary surgical wound. As a rotation flap is executed, the direction of wound closure tension is effectively changed. Rotation flaps partially or completely redistribute and redirect closure tension from a primary defect to a secondary arciform defect.2,3 Laxity of the adjacent tissue allows the flap to be rotated into the primary defect, and the tension vector is reoriented in the direction of the secondary defect or secondary motion of the flap. Rotation flaps also allow for displacement of dog-ears to more favorable locations. Well-designed rotation flaps create scar lines that are hidden along facial boundaries or within relaxed skin tension lines. There are few repairs as elegant and seemingly simplistic as a well-designed and well-executed rotation flap. In practice, flaps that utilize only rotational motion are uncommon, and a simplistically designed rotation flap rarely suitably repairs an operative wound.