Fetal Wound Healing

Abstract

First- and second-trimester fetal skin wounds are known to heal without scarring. Research has excluded factors like the sterile uterine environment as the cause of scarless repair, and it is believed that scarless healing is an intrinsic property of early fetal skin. However, increasing wound size and induction of the inflammatory reaction can evoke a scar response in the fetus. For decades, research is performed to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for scarless healing in fetuses. Much research has been performed in animal studies, and several mechanisms have been proposed to be involved such as the microenvironment and the extracellular matrix, a reduced inflammatory response, differences in growth factor profile, and differences in fibroblast phenotype. It is clear that the wound healing process leading to scarless healing cannot be attributed to just one factor or mechanism but will be the result of a complex of interconnected processes. This chapter describes some of the possible mechanisms which may play a role in scarless healing.