Skin substitutes are a cutting-edge way to support and supplement the healing process. Today we’re going to be taking a closer look at skin substitutes, what they are, and how they support the healing process. Let’s dive in!
Why You Might Need a Skin Substitute and How It Will Help Recovery
Before going into the specifics of what a skin substitute is, let’s examine the wounds they’re treating. In taking a closer look at chronic wounds and how non-skin substitute methods treat them, we’ll see what works in terms of existing wound treatments, and what can be improved.
Healing Chronic Wounds
Wounds are disruptions of the skin’s structural and functional integrity. In most cases, wounds transition through four stages to heal the injury: hemostasis, inflammation, cellular migration and proliferation, and remodeling. Chronic wounds have remained in this process for an overly lengthy time, typically remaining in the inflammation stage.
Patients with chronic wounds struggle with loss of function, wound recurrence, and significant morbidity. Some common types of chronic wounds include pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and venous leg ulcers.
Successful chronic wound healing may require specific interventions to jumpstart the healing process. This requires certain conditions, like proper blood flow and nutrition, infection control, moisture maintenance, and the removal of dead tissue. This allows a clean space for new cells and tissues to fill the wound.
Chronic Wound Treatment Options
Proper wound care starts with patient and wound assessment. That includes factoring in medical comorbidities like diabetes, kidney disease, coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and other conditions.
There are a large number of available dressings to treat chronic wounds. Common wound dressings include non-adherents, hydrocolloids, foams, alginates, hydrofiber, and hydrogel sheets. These dressings all work to control a wound’s moisture levels and promote further healing.
Supplemental Wound Care Options
A chronic wound care regimen typically features weekly to monthly wound assessments, infection control, debridement, and a moisture-controlling dressing. However, many chronic wounds can resist this level of treatment. Cases like these will require adjunctive therapies to further promote healing. These can include negative pressure therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or biologics like bioengineered cellular therapies, extracellular matrix products, and amniotic membrane products.
What Is a Skin Substitute?
You still might be asking yourself, “What is a skin substitute?” A skin substitute is made from a combination of cellular and acellular components that can be either human or animal-derived. They stimulate the host to regenerate lost tissue and replace wounds with functional skin.
Cellular Therapies
These can also be called bioengineered cellular therapies. These therapies provide skin cells (either fibroblasts, keratinocytes, or both) to the affected area, promoting tissue regeneration.
Acellular Therapies
In acellular therapies, materials are suspended in an extracellular matrix made of collagen or polyglactin. This material creates a material space for cells to migrate into and start regrowing. It acts both as a scaffolding and may actively stimulate regrowth.
Working together, the cellular and acellular therapies in a skin substitute further promote tissue regrowth. Skin substitutes have the potential to stimulate chronic wound healing and reduce the medical burden these wounds create.
Treat Your Wounds with Skin Subs From Sana Wound Care
Now that you know what skin subs are and how they help to heal, you’ll know what to expect. If you have a wound that might benefit from skin subs, Sana Wound Care is here to help. Their friendly knowledgeable professionals can help you choose the best skin substitute treatment for your particular need. Call or contact us online today to schedule a visit from Sana’s wound care clinic.
