“Human Skin Wound Dressings”
The skin is a very complex organ, consisting of several layers the epidermis, dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. The skin maintains our body temperature, protects and provides sensory information. The researchers in Canada have been working on vitro skin culture, used as a biological wound dressing. This study will help many patients suffering from bad ulcers in their legs; which are slow to heal especially in patients with diabetes.
The research that they have been working on, creating the skin wound dressing, is a very complex and takes many steps to grow. And is a last recourse when other treatments are not working. First thing they do is remove about 1cm of the patients’ skin, and after isolating the appropriate cells, grow them in vitro. This process creates skin substitute for the dermis an epidermis layer of skin, which takes about 8 weeks to grow. This then can be used on the patients wound. Also helping speed up the skin’s healing process. The study has been successful in treating 14 ulcers in 5 patients.
With this newly found treatment for wound healing, the researches are going to work toward ways to help even patients suffering from serious burns. It’s good that there are researchers working on other ways to heal skin wounds that won’t heal on their own.
Kethanne K. Colich
Universite Laval. “Human skin wound dressing to treat cutaneous ulcers.” ScienceDaily, 2 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013
Tortora,Gerard J and Derrickson, B. Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. 13th. 2011.Print.