Developmental deformities encompass abnormalities brought on by trauma, injury, or disease. Examples of such deformities include burn injuries, skin tumors, lacerations, and breast reconstruction following breast cancer. Skin grafting is a common technique performed to restore an affected area of skin. By using a skin graft, which is essentially a section of healthy skin taken from another area of the body, this healthy skin can be used as a replacement for the insufficient or impaired skin. Skin grafts are commonly used on large open wounds or skin that has been damaged due to a burn injury.
Tissue expansion is another technique used for reconstruction.
This procedure enables the growth of healthy skin and is most commonly used for both breast reconstruction following breast cancer, and for the repair of damaged skin. A balloon like device is inserted underneath the skin adjacent to the area of skin to be repaired. Over a period of time this device is filled with a saline solution causing the skin around it to grow and stretch. Once the new skin has reached it's ideal size the tissue expander is removed and the new skin is redistributed, replacing the damaged area of skin. Patients requiring reconstructive surgery of the breast after breast cancer may either have implant surgery or reconstruction with their own tissue.