Leaving our mark – are suture marks acceptable?

Abstract

‘Cross hatching’, ‘railroad tracks’ or ‘fishbone scars’ (suture marks) can be an unfortunate consequence seen after suture placement, but are they an occasional inevitability or can they and should they be totally avoidable? Wound healing and scarring has long been a focus of both academic and clinical interest and we are now in an era where public awareness and expectations of scar cosmesis has become greater and greater.