[Under the epidermis, the dermis, or how to interpret skin cultures?].

After a brief review of the three basic principles of reconstruction of the skin (structure, antigenicity and function), the author presents the various skin culture techniques, tissue by tissue. He explains the main methods of reconstruction of natural or artificial dermal tissue and epidermal structures, and finally the in vitro simultaneous reconstruction of both tissues, dermis and epidermis; only this last technique can really be called "skin culture".