Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Isolation and Culture of Adult Epithelial Stem Cells from Human Skin
Published on: March 31, 2011
Tissue expansion for correction of baldness in aplasia cutis congenita
S J A Beekmans1, J P W don Griot, F B Niessen
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.beekmans@vumc.nl
Unlabelled:
Aplasia cutis is a congenital absence of the skin, usually presenting on the scalp. In 20% of all cases, part of the skull is also absent. A residual area of baldness may still be present some years after surgical or conservative treatment. It is possible to excise the scarred hairless region and cover that area with expanded hair-bearing skin from the rest of the skull. We present three patients who underwent tissue expansion and discuss the indications and pitfalls of this procedure.
Conclusion:
Tissue expansion can be used to cover a residual alopecia defect in young children with aplasia cutis congenita and associated bone abnormalities. The quality of the bone appears to be normal in our three patients. We demonstrate that even in young children with aplasia cutis and an underlying bony defect, tissue expansion is a safe and effective modality as a second stage reconstruction procedure.
