title: Cultured composite skin grafts: biological skin equivalents permitting massive expansion.
abstract: After assessment in mice, a biological skin equivalent consisting of cultured fibroblasts in a collagen gel overlain with cultured keratinocytes was applied to three patients who had had tattoos excised. In all patients the grafts took well with good cosmetic results and little or no contracture. A biopsy at 4 weeks showed that the central graft area had a fully differentiated epidermis and a mature dermis without adnexae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nanchahal
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dover
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Dhital
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013653:Tattooing