One of the cornerstones of cutaneous surgery is suturing. Mastering the various suturing techniques is paramount to achieving both a good aesthetic and functional outcome.

In order to obtain this goal one must understand the principles behind suturing. Without proper suturing, even the best planned reconstructions may not yield the best results.

The best scars result from wounds that are closed under minimal tension with good eversion of the wound edges. This is best achieved through layered suturing — placement of buried sutures followed by superficial cutaneous sutures.

This chapter illustrates the various suturing techniques used to obtain these results.