The treatment of hypopigmented lesions with cultured epithelial autograft

Hypopigmentation may be a significant problem after burn injury. It is often difficult to predictably repair with conventional surgical techniques. It has been our experience that epidermal cells cultured from patients with dark skin produce pigment within the epidermal cell sheets, which indicates the presence of melanocytes. The presence of melanocytes and melanin in these cell sheets was demonstrated with the use of histochemical techniques. The results indicate that repigmentation with cultured epithelial autograft is possible. We describe a novel technique of dermabrasion and a co-culture of epidermal cells and melanocytes.