ABSTRACT
In contrast to the child and adult, the embryo and fetus have the unique ability to heal a potentially scarring injury without scar formation. Unlike adult epidermal cells that resurface the wound by “crawling” across it, embryonic epidermal cells are pulled by the contraction of actin fibers that draw the wound edges together. Probable reasons for this are that fetal skin has small amounts of transforming growth factor b-1, a scar promoting cytokine; but is rather rich in metalloproteinases, which may promote scarless healing (1). For a detailed description of fetal wound repair, please refer to Chapter 2. We will describe pediatric cases where wound healing represents a therapeutic challenge.
