[What's new in cosmetic surgery of the hand? Technical notes]

The author analyses the aesthetic aspects of the hand in three circumstances: trauma, rheumatism, and ageing. He describes the unsightly appearance of certain grafts and flaps and certain amputation stumps and malunions following trauma and emphasizes the cosmetic indication for finger transfer to an adjacent finger in four-finger hands. The main indications for rheumatic digital deformities concern distal deformities: DIP arthrodesis or arthroplasty depending on the finger. In the context of ageing of the hand, related to excess skin and prominent veins, the author proposes a one-stage operation via a palmar incision.