The postauricular cutaneous advancement flap for repairing ear rim defects

BACKGROUND. Due to the ear's complicated anatomy and closely adherent anterior skin, repairing ear rim defects is often difficult. OBJECTIVE. We describe a simple postauricular cutaneous advancement flap for correcting ear rim defects of varying sizes. METHODS. Skin tumors involving the ear rims of 12 patients were excised. A postauricular cutaneous advancement flap was designed to correct the resulting defects. RESULTS. The postauricular cutaneous advancement flap provided excellent cosmetic results in our 12 patients. Minimal superficial necrosis of the flap was observed in one patient. CONCLUSION. Utilizing relatively loose postauricular skin, this postauricular advancement flap can cover helical rim defects of varying sizes with excellent cosmetic results and low complication rates.