Scottsdale – I had the opportunity to use Prineo last week several times. Prineo is a new wound closure technique which combines Dermabond® and with a mesh tape. It is designed to replace the last row of sutures a plastic surgeon may place on incisions. The other name for this product is Dermabond® Protape. It as been used in Europe since 2007.

The product is distributed by Ethicon, which provides a multitude of surgery product lines including devices and products for plastic surgery after major weight loss, lap-band surgery, facial plastic surgery, etc..

Dermabond® uses the concept of “super glue” for medical applications and has been used in many surgical procedures. The medical glue has great adhesive properties, but is not perfect, and may not give the same results as a surgical closure. The glue alone is not considered to be as strong as a sutured skin closure.

With Prineo, the combination system of mesh and glue is three times stronger than glue alone and is considered to be the same as a standard suture closure.

I used it on buttock lifts, thigh lift, tummy tuck and lower bodylift procedures. The plastic surgeon starts by suturing closed the deep tissue layers of the incision. I also place a deep dermal closure with the Insorb® device. In some cases, I used the subcuticular suture while in others, I skipped the subcuticular portion and placed the Prineo technique. For accurate placement, the tape-like mesh is applied over the incision. The glue is lightly painted over the tape. Because the mesh contains the activating ingredient for the glue, is sets within a minute.

Having just used it this week and seeing the early progress, I was impressed by three aspects of the technique:

  • It is easy to use, it is fast, and efficient. This is truly an advancement in technique with time savings.
  • There is plenty of material to cover most plastic surgery operations with one device.
  • The strength of the closure is impressive and the mesh protects and covers the wound far more effectively.