Wounds and burns that penetrate deep into the skin present major clinical problems for patients and healthcare professionals alike. Transplantation of the patient’s own skin by way of a split-thickness skin graft remains the ‘gold standard’ in the treatment of major skin loss. However, this incurs significant donor site morbidity and harvest sites are limited. Advances in tissue engineering mean that there is now a limitless supply of skin through the development of innovative products such as Integra®, a matrix designed to provide immediate wound closure and permanent regeneration of the dermis.
