Cellular- and Acellular-Based Therapies: Skin Substitutes and Matrices

Recalcitrant wounds pose a challenge to the dermatologist. In recent years, many skin substitutes have been developed and are broadly classified as either acellular or cellular. These skin substitutes are to be used in concert with standard of care to provide the stalled wound with a scaffold and key elements such as cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix substances. Skin substitutes help initiate and accelerate wound healing through granulation, cell migration, re-vascularization, and re-epithelialization. Wounds of varying etiologies have been shown to benefit from the multitude of acellular and cellular skin substitutes that are available. This chapter provides clinically relevant background and practical guidance about skin substitutes to allow dermatologists to effectively incorporate these powerful tools into their wound healing armamentarium