to the editor: In response to the article by Singer and Talan on the management of skin abscesses, I would like to suggest an alternative method of "simple" incision and drainage using a lanceolate incision that I have found to be better than a simple, linear incision.1 A lanceolate incision is shaped like a narrow ellipse but tapers to a sharp point at either end. This incision excises a strip of the skin that overlies the abscess. It can be done as easily as a simple, linear incision and provides both better access to the abscess cavity to break up loculations and better drainage of purulent debris.
展开▼
