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Induction of the Fetal Scarless Phenotype in Adult Wounds: Impossible?

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Regenerative Medicine and Plastic Surgery

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Abstract

Adult cutaneous wounds repair through a fibroproliferative response which results in a scar. Early-gestation fetal skin has the ability to regenerate damaged skin without the formation of a scar in a process that resembles regeneration. The fetal and adult wound healing phenotypes are characterized by differences in the degree of inflammation, molecular signaling, extracellular matrix composition, and biomechanical properties. Significant advancements in understanding scarless fetal mammalian wound healing have led to the development of therapeutic applications with the potential to reduce scarring in the healing of adult cutaneous wounds. This chapter outlines the molecular and cellular processes involved in scarless fetal wound healing and the progress that has been made in recapitulating this process in adult wounds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Michael S. Hu

  2. Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Michael S. Hu, Mimi R. Borrelli & Michael T. Longaker

  3. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Michael S. Hu, Mimi R. Borrelli, Michael T. Longaker & H. Peter Lorenz

  4. Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Michael S. Hu, Michael T. Longaker & H. Peter Lorenz

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  1. Michael S. Hu
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  2. Mimi R. Borrelli
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  3. Michael T. Longaker
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  4. H. Peter Lorenz
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Correspondence to Michael S. Hu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, Division of Experimental Plastic Surgery, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Dominik Duscher

  2. Private Practice, Tustin, CA, USA

    Melvin A. Shiffman

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Hu, M.S., Borrelli, M.R., Longaker, M.T., Lorenz, H.P. (2019). Induction of the Fetal Scarless Phenotype in Adult Wounds: Impossible?. In: Duscher, D., Shiffman, M.A. (eds) Regenerative Medicine and Plastic Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19962-3_1

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