Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, Vol 9, 333-344, Copyright © 1998 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Tissue engineering of skin
B. Pomahac, T. Svensjo, F. Yao, H. Brown and E. Eriksson
Division of Plastic Surgery, Brigham/Children's/Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
The skin plays a crucial role in protecting the integrity of the body's
internal milieu. The loss of this largest organ is incompatible with
sustained life. In reconstructive surgery or burn management, substitution
of the skin is often necessary. In addition to traditional approaches such
as split- or full-thickness skin grafts, tissue flaps and free-tissue
transfers, skin bioengineering in vitro or in vivo has been developing over
the past decades. It applies the principles and methods of both engineering
and life sciences toward the development of substitutes to restore and
maintain skin structure and function. Currently, these methods are valuable
alternatives or complements to other techniques in reconstructive surgery.
This review article deals with the evolution and current approaches to the
development of in vitro and in vivo epidermis and dermis.
