[The affect of the skin stretch on the biomechanical changes of skin].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the biomechanical changes in skin after employing the skin stretch.


METHODS
Skin samples were took from the test group which was stretched for 7 days and control group without stretch respectively in the end of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 week. The biomechanical index were measured by tensiometer.


RESULTS
The mean destroy stress, breaking load, stretch rate of the test group decreased obviously in the first week (the breaking load was increasing at the beginning) and the three index increased subsequently, they reached the climax during the fourth week and turned to normal subsequently to the level of some higher than control group and normal value in the sixth week. The stiffness of the test group reached the climax at the first week and than decreased gradually to the level of some higher than normal value and control group. The biomechanical changes of te control group was not evident by comparing with the test gropu.


CONCLUSIONS
Skin stretch may injured the biomechanical property during the early time and turned to normal soon afterwards. The stiffness of the skin was increased and its elasticity was decreased after performing skin stretch.
Sun
Zhi-gang
ZG
Department of Plastic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Guo
Shu-zhong
SZ
Lu
Kai-hua
KH
Ding
Chun-sheng
CS
Hou
De-men
DM
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods; D012421:Rupture; D012867:Skin; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena