Histomorphological observations on dermal repair in expanded rabbit skin: a preliminary report.

In 11 New Zealand rabbits, small tissue expanders were placed in a pocket between the dermis and the panniculus carnosus and inflated during a period of 10 days. Animals were killed immediately after the inflation procedure (Group I, N = 4), 25 days thereafter (Group II, N = 5), and 35 and 55 days thereafter (Group III, N = 2). Dermal connective tissue architecture was studied by routine light microscopy. Specimens in group I showed a striking disturbance in polarity of the dermal collagen bundles. These changes were accompanied by a clear increase of cellular infiltration. In groups II and III, the collagen polarity showed a tendency to recover to normal, while cellular infiltration was decreased. The current findings indicate that there is a spontaneous repair of the damaged dermal collagen in expanded skin with time.