Different Demand on Temporary Skin Substitutes for Different Indications

Abstract

In the past, the authors centred their attention on the effect of various skin substitutes on dermal burns. In the present study, the effect of various synthetic and biological skin substitutes on full thickness skin defects was studied. Experiments were carried out on laboratory pigs; the effect of various materials was evaluated in excised full thickness burns and in tangentially excised dermal burns. A parallel study was carried out in burned patients. It was concluded that for different indications, different qualities (or properties) of temporary skin substitutes are desirable or preferable. None of the materials available to date has all desirable qualities for all types of skin defects.

Key Words:

• skin defects
• burns
• skin substitutes