Spray skin for burns: Transforming traditional grafting procedures

IMAGE CREDIT:
Image credit
iStock

Spray skin for burns: Transforming traditional grafting procedures

Spray skin for burns: Transforming traditional grafting procedures

Subheading text
Burn victims to benefit from fewer skin grafts and faster rates of healing.
    • Author:
    • Author name
      Quantumrun Foresight
    • July 28, 2022

    Insight summary

    Advanced skin graft technologies are revolutionizing burn treatment. These spray-on treatments offer efficient alternatives to traditional graft surgeries, promoting faster healing, reduced scarring, and minimal pain. Beyond burn care, these innovations hold the potential to democratize treatments, reduce healthcare costs, and reshape cosmetic surgery.

    Spray skin for burns context

    Victims of severe burns often need skin graft surgeries to speed up the healing process and reduce scarring. It involves taking undamaged skin from the victim and surgically attaching it to the burnt wound to aid the healing process. Fortunately, novel technologies are being deployed to enhance the effectiveness of this process.     

    The RECELL system involves taking a small mesh graft of healthy skin from the burn victim and immersing it into an enzyme solution to form a suspension of live cells that can be sprayed onto burn wounds. A skin graft the size of a credit card can be used to effectively cover an entire burnt back this way. Moreover, the healing process is reportedly fast, less painful, and faces a reduced chance of infection and scarring.
     
    Another bioengineering marvel is CUTISS’s denovoSkin. Though not precisely a spray-on, it works similarly to reduce the amount of healthy skin graft required. It takes unburnt cutaneous cells, multiplies them, and combines them with a hydrogel resulting in a 1mm thick skin sample of a hundred times greater surface area. The denovoSkin can make several grafts at a time with no manual input. The phase III trials of the machine are expected to conclude by 2023.   

    Disruptive impact   

    These procedures hold the potential to democratize treatment options, making them more accessible to a broader population, including individuals in war zones where medical resources may be limited. Notably, the minimal manual intervention required for these technologies, except in cases of surgical skin extraction, is a significant advantage, ensuring that even in resource-constrained settings, patients can benefit from these therapies.

    Looking ahead, the pain mitigation and infection reduction capabilities of these technologies are expected to have a substantial impact. Burn patients often endure excruciating pain during their recovery process, but innovations like spray skin can significantly alleviate this suffering. Moreover, by minimizing the risk of infection, these treatments can reduce the need for prolonged hospital stays and extensive follow-up care, reducing healthcare costs and resources.

    Furthermore, the long-term implications extend to the field of cosmetic surgery. As these technologies continue to advance, they can be harnessed for aesthetic purposes, making cosmetic surgeries more affordable and successful. This development can empower individuals to enhance their appearance with greater confidence and fewer risks, ultimately reshaping the cosmetic industry.

    Implications of novel skin grafting innovations

    Wider implications of spray skin technologies may include:

    • The development of novel treatments for rare skin diseases.
    • The development of new hybrid treatment methods that combine old methods and new ones to aid healing processes. 
    • The development of new facial and limb reconstruction techniques, especially for female victims of acid attacks.
    • Faster treatment and hence greater security offered to firefighters and other emergency workers.
    • The development of new cosmetic surgery options for patients with overly large birthmarks or skin deformities. 
    • New cosmetic procedures that will eventually allow healthy individuals to choose to replace parts or most of their skin with skin of a different color or tone. This option may be particularly of interest to older patients who want to replace their aged or wrinkled skin with younger, firmer skin.

    Questions to consider

    • How fast do you think such technologies can be transported and used within war zones?
    • Do you think the treatments will become as democratized as promised? 

    Insight references

    The following popular and institutional links were referenced for this insight: