Skin Substitutes and Alternatives

In Brief PURPOSE To provide the specialist in skin and wound care with a review of skin replacement alternatives and their most common uses. TARGET AUDIENCE This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in wound care and related disorders. OBJECTIVES After reading this article and taking this test, the reader should be able to: Describe characteristics of skin and skin substitutes for grafting. Identify indications for and uses of common grafting procedures and products. This continuing education activity discusses some of the most commonly used skin substitutes, providing information on the types of products, manufacturing processes, indications, contraindications, and significant published literature about their clinical use.