Peri-Eyebrow Incision: A Practical and Aesthetic Solution for Forehead Lipoma Surgery
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Forehead lipomas are benign but cosmetically conspicuous. Direct transcutaneous incision allows easy removal but often leaves visible scars. Hairline approaches conceal scars but are unsuitable for bald or high-hairline patients and lower forehead lipomas. We evaluated a peri-eyebrow approach using a superior brow-margin incision versus conventional methods. <b>Methods</b>: We retrospectively reviewed 176 patients who underwent forehead mass excision between 2008 and 2025. After exclusions, 97 biopsy-proven lipomas were analyzed (peri-eyebrow 22; hairline 38; direct 37). Variables included lipoma location, vertical ratio (lipoma position between the hairline and eyebrow), lipoma size, and incision length. Logistic regression assessed the relationship between vertical ratio and peri-eyebrow incision selection. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent predictors, and bootstrap validation (1000 iterations) assessed the internal stability of the ROC cut-off. Scar quality was evaluated using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scales. <b>Results</b>: Peri-eyebrow incisions were used only for midline or median lipomas. The vertical ratio was highest in the peri-eyebrow group (0.70 ± 0.10) and independently predicted incision choice (adjusted OR per 0.1-unit increase 3.32, <i>p</i> < 0.001). ROC analysis showed excellent discrimination (AUC 0.872), and the bootstrapped AUC (0.802, 95% CI 0.727-0.878) confirmed robust internal validity. The optimal 0.615 cut-off yielded 0.82 sensitivity and 0.79 specificity. Peri-eyebrow and hairline incisions achieved significantly better scar scores than direct incisions (<i>p</i> < 0.001). <b>Conclusions</b>: The peri-eyebrow incision is a safe and cosmetically effective alternative when hairline incisions are unsuitable. It offers concealed scars and outcomes comparable to hairline incisions.
Authors
- Kwang Seog Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6766-4640)
- Jae Ha Hwang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6992-8067)
- D.W. Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4775-1330)
- Seung Hyun Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8269-2036)
- Jun Ho Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4848-517X)
- Ho-Jun Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4701-2274)
Institutions
- Chonnam National University Hospital (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Published
- 2025-11-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14238460
- Primary Topic
- Teratomas and Epidermoid Cysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Chonnam National University