[Progress in the use of tissue expanders for defect closure of the body surface--clinical aspects]

The time-honored principle of tissue expansion has only gained clinical relevance in the past 10 years. Its advantages are that sound tissue of equal texture, color, and quality adjacent to a defect or scarred area can be transposed to treat defects without producing further scars. Especially in the hair covered part of the head, but also in reconstruction of the female breast after mastectomy, in large scars from burns, or in large pigmented nevi, tissue expansion has to be reliable. Only when used in extremities does a higher rate of complication demand a certain restriction.