Plastic Surgery Thumb Forceps

Types of plastic surgery forceps

Adson and Adson-Brown forceps

Adson forceps have a wide, flat thumb grip narrowing to a short jaw with narrow tips, serrated, toothed (1x2, 2x3) or Brown. Brown teeth are rows of small side-grasping teeth that give multiple fixation points; Brown Adson forceps (Adson-Brown) are a plastic-surgery and skin-closure pattern. See the Horton Adson forceps, the micro Adson and Adson blepharoplasty patterns.

Gillies and McIndoe forceps

Gillies forceps are fine-toothed forceps designed by Sir Harold Gillies; McIndoe forceps are fine non-toothed forceps designed by Sir Archibald McIndoe. Semken and Mustarde patterns combine dissecting and suture holding.

Micro and ophthalmic forceps

Castroviejo suturing forceps hold fine tissue such as cornea; Castroviejo tying forceps grip suture on a diamond-dusted platform. Iris forceps, Bishop-Harmon forceps and titanium jewelers forceps complete the micro group.

Rhinoplasty and bayonet forceps

A bayonet shank offsets the hand from the line of sight into the nose — the Tebbetts septal bayonet forceps and the Sheen cartilage forceps. The Cottle columella forceps are self-retaining with screw-locking blades for columellar retraction; Lucae, Gruenwald and Wilde forceps are ENT dressing forceps.

Vascular, deep-field and heavy tissue forceps

DeBakey forceps have fine interlocking lengthwise serrations for atraumatic vascular work, as on the DeBakey bayonet forceps; Cushing forceps are slim with narrow tips for small, deep sites. Bonney, Ferris-Smith and Russian forceps grip fascia, dense tissue and rib cartilage.

How to choose plastic surgery forceps

• Teeth or no teeth. Dressing forceps have no teeth (gauze, cotton, suture removal); tissue forceps add teeth for skin and soft tissue; Brown teeth spread the grip over many points.
• Tooth count. 1x2, 2x3 and higher counts per side — more teeth spread the bite for tougher tissue.
• Tip size. Micro and delicate tips for eyelid, face and microsurgery; standard Adson tips for skin closure; heavy patterns for fascia.
• Shank. Straight for open work; bayonet for nasal and deep narrow access.

Tungsten carbide inserts are harder than the stainless body and resist wear in suturing.

What are plastic surgery forceps used for?

Skin closure and flap handling in plastic and reconstructive surgery, blepharoplasty and facial surgery, rhinoplasty and septal work, microsurgery and ophthalmic suturing, vascular work, and dressing changes.

How BusinessMed thumb forceps are made

German stainless steel with a satin, non-reflective finish; tungsten carbide, diamond-dust and titanium versions where the product name says so. Reusable, autoclavable, 5-year warranty.