Tissue expansion improvement: the role of epidermal growth factor

In order to achieve the most satisfactory results in tissue expansion, a cream containing human recombinant epidermal growth factor (EGF) was applied daily to the expanding skin. The capacity of EGF to stimulate tissue repair has been evaluated on expanded skin flaps, comparing surgical procedures carried out with and without EGF. The present clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical and morphometric results demonstrate that EGF used together with the tissue expander may improve skin repair after mechanical stretching. In EGF-expanded skin flaps, clinical results show a reduction in teleangectasiae and histological evidence of a more regular texture in the dermal tissue, together with a significant thickening of the epidermal malpighian layer. Without EGF some signs of immaturity, such as abundance of fibronectin, persist for longer. EGF seems to be a helpful support to improve the tissue expansion process.