Factors that Affect the Time Period Required for Complete Epithelialization of Surgical Skin Defects Reconstructed Only with Artificial Dermis

Abstract

　Twelve patients underwent surgical resection of skin tumors. The resulting skin defects （size range, 20-313 mm²） were repaired only by transplantation of artificial dermis （Terudermis^®） and allowed to heal by secondary intention. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to assess the association between healing period （dependent/outcome variable） and four independent/explanatory variables, i.e., patient’s age, sex, area of skin defect, and site of defect. Only female sex （prolongation of healing period by 26.2 days） and area of skin defect （19.4 days for every cm² of defect area） showed a significant association with prolonged healing period. Patient’s age and site of defect showed no significant association with the healing period. Reconstruction strategy that entails only transplantation of artificial dermis offers several advantages, including shortened surgical time, minimal scar length, and preclusion of graft/flap donor site morbidity. This strategy may be beneficial for patients with skin defects of < 3 cm² in size and who can accept a healing period as long as 2 months.