Skin grafting: dermal components in inhibition of wound contraction.

The inhibition of wound contraction by skin grafting is widely accepted but poorly understood. We used an experimental model of contraction to study the effect of dermal organization, cellularity, and collagen matrix on contraction inhibition. Wound beds covered with inverted and collagen matrix grafts contracted at the same rate as full-thickness grafts. Heat denaturation diminished this ability. Partial-thickness grafts derived from papillary or reticular dermis inhibited contraction to an equal degree. Inhibition of contraction appears to relate to the amount of intact dermal collagen matrix transferred, and not to another component of a full-thickness graft.