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Home » Consumer Information » Burn Injuries

Artificial Skin

For many burn victims, using their own skin for skin grafting is not an option because they either have an insufficient amount of healthy skin left or are too weak to undergo an operation. Until recently, the only alternatives to cover these patients' wounds existed in the form of skin from cadavers or animals. After only a few days the patient's body will reject them both, and another surgical procedure must be performed. Medical professionals working in burn units have longed for a time when a skin substitute could be used in the absence of living human skin. In 1997, their prayers were answered when an artificial skin called Dermagraft-TC was put on the market. This product, which is fabricated from living human cells, is a much more reliable choice than skin from a cadaver.

Dermagraft-TC was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in addition to two synthetic dressings for third degree burn treatment, Integra Artificial Skin and Original BioBrane. Unlike conventional bandages, these new dressings provide a boost to the healing process through direct interaction with body tissue.

Integra Artificial Skin is a dual layer dressing, with the top layer acting as a short-term synthetic epidermis and the bottom layer serving as the base for dermal tissue growth. The bottom layer is composed of collagen fibers that mesh to give the body the opportunity to arrange cells and regenerate dermal tissue.

BioBrane is primarily nylon with an ingredient of gelatin that intermingles with clotting agents in the wound. This relationship assists in the formation of a more resilient layer of protection that is better able to adhere to the wound.

There are more substitute skin products that could hit the market in the near future. Canada-based Organogenesis Inc. is already selling Apilgra, what it calls a "human skin equivalent," to treat wounds and ulcers. The company is currently looking to bring Apilgra to the US. LifeCell Corporation also manufactures implantable human tissue intended for reconstructive and burn operations.

Another remedy for skin shortage that has been around just as long as artificial skin is cultured skin. Using this method, doctors can extract a piece of skin as tiny as a postage stamp from the patient and culture it to grow more identical skin. From a sample of this size, it only takes three weeks to grow enough skin to practically cover the person's entire body.

As great at it may sound, artificial skin is just a quick fix, and the patient will ultimately require skin grafts. Nevertheless, using artificial skin allows for a thinner graft and enables the patient to heal more rapidly without as many operations.

Since it is still relatively new, scientists have yet to work out all the kinks related to artificial skin, and it may not be the definitive answer for all severe burn patients. Scarring still occurs even with its use, but it usually isn't as intense.