New 3D Printed Skin Integrates Hair Follicles and Could Heal Wounds

3D printing is used in a very wide variety of areas in medicine, where it has opens up new ways of treating patients. In recent news, a research team from Penn State has succeeded in making 3D printed living skin which has the potential to integrate hair follicles using human tissue and the fat cells and supporting structures taken from it. As part of the project, the researchers aimed to restore injured rat skin to its original state.

Producing thin layers of skin from a 3D printer has already been achieved in the past. However, the current study is the first to successfully print a complete and living system consisting of several layers of skin, such as the lowest layer of skin, the hypodermis, which is made up of fat and connective tissue and is responsible for support above the skull. The special feature here is that the skin can be printed during the ongoing operation using the bioprinting technology developed by the team, whereby the visible outermost skin layer (the epidermis) is not printed, as this is automatically developed by the underlying middle layer.

Photo Credits: Bioactive Materials

The results of the research project were recently published in the journal Bioactive Materials. Professor of engineering science and mechanics, of biomedical, who led the international research collaboration, Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, further explained, “Reconstructive surgery to correct trauma to the face or head from injury or disease is usually imperfect, resulting in scarring or permanent hair loss. With this work, we demonstrate bioprinted, full thickness skin with the potential to grow hair in rats. That’s a step closer to being able to achieve more natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing head and face reconstruction in humans.”