June 2026 in “Nature Communications” This study found that in stretch-mediated tissue expansion, fibroblasts adopt an embryonic-like, low-collagen state that enhances epidermal stem cell renewal, supporting coordinated skin expansion crucial for reconstructive surgeries.
44 citations
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January 2019 in “Journal of Translational Medicine” This study found that macrophages are crucial for skin regeneration during tissue expansion, as their depletion in rats led to inhibited skin growth and reduced secretion of key growth factors.
4 citations
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May 2023 in “Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery” This study found that transplanting adipose tissue into the rat dorsum supported long-term skin expansion by enhancing thickness, vascularization, and cell proliferation, with adipose-derived cells actively contributing to skin regeneration and growth factor expression.
January 2024 in “Burns and trauma” In a rat scalp expansion model, this study found that activating autophagy with rapamycin enhanced skin regeneration during tissue expansion by increasing expanded skin area, epidermis and dermis thicknesses, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and other regenerative factors, whereas blocking autophagy reversed these effects.
October 2019 in “The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine” In this study, both hair transplantation and skin expansion were found effective for treating cicatricial alopecia, with transplantation being preferable for adults with smaller areas and skin expansion suited to younger patients with larger areas.
