MATRIDERM®
The Purpose of Skin
"Skin has an important concrete physiological role, but beside its physical functions, it has also a massive psychological meaning: skin is the part of us that comes into contact with what is outside of us and it gradually enables us to get to know the world, but it also sets the boundary between us and the other objects in the world. Think, then, what happens to a person who suffers a sudden skin injury: The sense of invasion or leakage in the part that holds, protects, unites and distinguishes the individual as a unique human being is liable to create a whole set of feelings of disintegration and existential fear.
In burn injuries this is often accompanied by a real danger due to the serious physical condition, which includes loss of fluids, risk of infections, the need for artificial respiration, repeated surgical intervention and much more, all resulting in helplessness and fear of death. In addition, because injury to the body cover also damages the person's appearance, that is, his body image, the negative feelings are also accompanied by confusion and problems with the self-identity.
A very important part in the healing process is the patient orientated surgical treatment. One of the main surgical objectives is to achieve an earliest possible, durable and mechanicly stable coverage of the burn wounds, but due to the improvements in burn wound treatment, not only survival, but also regained quality of life plays an important part of the final outcome.
Great efforts have been made in the past to develop artificial replacements of dermis and epidermis to overcome the problem of poor skin quality and scar contraction in order to achieve optimal function and aesthetic appearance of the restored and reconstructed skin. Thereby, optimal skin reconstruction plays a very important role in regaining quality of life after burn injuries."
Excerpt from a presentation given by Prof. Dr. med. Lars-Peter Kamolz in Berlin on October 12, 2007.
Prof. Dr. Lars-Peter Kamolz leads the Vienna Burn Centre, Devision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Head: Univ. Prof. Dr. M. Frey) at the Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna.
Prof. Dr. med. Lars-Peter Kamolz