Reconstruction of full-thickness loss skin wounds using skin collagen allografts.

Sheets of allogeneic dermal collagen measuring 20 X 15 mm and prepared by trypsin treatment of full-thickness skin were grafted under skin flaps in rats. After 2 to 5 weeks the protective recipient skin was excised and replaced by split-thickness skin isografts which remained viable on their supportive collagen beds. On average such composite grafts maintained 84 per cent of their original size over 3 to 28 weeks and in contrast with split-thickness skin grafts achieved full-thickness reconstruction of the excised skin.