<p>Until recently, the gold standard treatment for covering full-thickness skin defects that required surgery was the use of a full-thickness skin graft in small defects and split-thickness skin grafts in larger instances. The use of full-thickness skin grafts is limited due to the size and availability of suitable donor sites. The use of split-thickness skin grafts can result in complications such as hypertrophic scarring, keloids or disabling contractures especially across joint surfaces. This has led to the development of dermal templates in order to improve the reconstruction of the dermis, which is very important for the quality and functionality of the reconstructed skin. This paper reviews the relevant aspects of wound healing and summarises the efficacy of an engineered dermal template called MatriDerm® (Medskin Solutions/Dr Suwelack) in a variety of acute and reconstructive wounds.</p>
