Densitometric evaluation of DNA contents in expanded human skin.

We studied 18 patients who underwent skin expansion. In 3 patients the prostheses had been inserted in anatomical areas previously expanded: in 3 other patients scarring tissue had been involved in the expansion. The DNA content of sections of epidermis, before and after the implantation of expanders, were analysed using an image analyzer (IBAS 2000). The preliminary data demonstrate that, at the end of the expansion, epidermis enters a phase of quiescency and is not affected by dysplastic processes.