Tissue expansion is a procedure that inserts a silicone balloon expander under the skin near the burn scar and then the balloon is gradually filled with salt water over time, causing the skin to stretch and grow. The stretched skin is then used to cover the scar tissue rather than a traditional donor site. Tissue expansion is not a replacement for skin grafts (which are normally used to start the healing process for destroyed tissue due to severe burns) but, tissue expansion can be an effective method to make burn scars far less noticeable or almost hidden completely.
Advantages:
Tissue expansion offers a near-perfect match of colour, texture, and hair-bearing qualities. Because the skin remains connected to the donor area’s blood and nerve supply it has a greater chance of “taking”.
Disadvantages:
Skin expansions greatest drawback is the length of time required to grow/stretch the skin. Tissue expansion can take as long as three to four months. The expansion process creates what can be viewed as a large bulge, which is very noticeable.
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