Regeneration of Epidermis After Second Degree Burns: A Light and Electron Microscopic Study on Clinical Burns

Abstract

Regeneration of the epidermis has been studied by both light and electron microscopy on a material consisting of clinical burns. Repeated biopsies were taken during the healing process in order to study its course. In a few patients a primitive epidermis without signs of keratinization was already developed between the 4th and 6th day; in the remaining series epidermal regeneration occurred between the 7th and 14th day. Incipient keratinization, with keratohyalin granules, but very few tonofilament bundles may generally be observed between the 7th and 12th day. This results in a stratum corneum which continues to show morphological changes even after 3 weeks. Intercellular edema becomes evident, and is at its maximum on the 16th-17th day. The basement membrane may be multilayered but, nonetheless, it seems to become normalized by the 21st day.