Normally, skin has the inherent ability to grow back, helping wounds to heal quickly. However, in cases of large or deep wounds, skin may become infected, inhibiting a wound’s ability to grow new cells.

Now, doctors specializing in wound management have begun to grow skin to help troublesome wounds heal. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are now extracting collagen from donated skin to create grafts, or patches, of skin that can induce a patient’s skin to grow. The patches are placed into the wound, spurring growth. It can be seen as a sort of platform for a patient’s cells to attach to, enabling the skin to grow.

The donated skin can come from many different sources, ranging from the foreskin of a baby to the organs of animals such as cows. Different companies produce different patches, including a New Zealand company including honey in their patch. These grafts vary in thickness, size, and ability to generate tissue. Depending on the injury, a patient would receive the proper graft for their most effective recovery.

Wound management experts claim that scientists are able to take something as small as a baby’s foreskin and produce four football fields of usable skin.

Patients suffering from peripheral artery disease, pressure ulcers and diabetes may benefit the most from the new discovery. Since they lack feeling in their peripherals, simple blisters or wounds can easily become infected and turn into infected sores. The new skin grafts can also help those suffering from severe burns to encourage skin growth.

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