ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Scissors are essential instruments for performing dermatologic surgery. They are used for both cutting and blunt dissection because they allow for accurate control. Scissors stabilize tissue between the blades and allow more accurate removal of flaccid tissue than the scalpel. Scissors are designed to make use of three force vectors when cutting: closing, shearing, and torque (Fig. 1). The closing force is transferred from the operator’s fingers to the shanks of the scissors, through the fulcrum to the cutting edges. Shearing force occurs when one blade slides against the other. The force that rolls the leading edge of one blade inward to the other is torque. Most scissors are designed so that a gripping motion of the right hand will combine these forces for precise cutting.
