Gillies Dura and Skin Retractor Hook, 19 cm

Naming an instrument for both dura and skin says something about how it is built. Scalp is dense and elastic and takes real force to hold; dura is a thin membrane over the brain that must be lifted rather than pulled. A hook used on both has to engage firmly enough for the first without being the kind of heavy point that would tear the second — which puts it in a narrow middle ground rather than at either extreme.

In a cranial approach the two are encountered in sequence: the scalp flap is raised and held, then the dura beneath is opened and its edges lifted. Having one hook that suits both means the surgeon is not swapping instruments at the point where the field changes character. At 19 cm the shaft clears the depth of a cranial exposure while the hand stays above the skull margin.

Specifications