Many uses of tissue expanders

Specialty Surgical Products, Inc., is a top manufacturer of extremity expanders for pediatric and adult reconstructive cases. We have worked with top surgeons to design and develop expanders that meet the needs of many different patients. Our expanders have a low initial profile and are available with zone textured surfaces (i.e., a smooth posterior surface for easy insertion and a textured anterior surface for secure expander/tissue interface), fully textured or smooth surfaces. Each expander comes with a sterile winged needle infusion set that enables you to initially fill the expander expander using your delivery system of choice.

Tissue expanders have many uses, including:

• expanding breast tissue to make room for reconstructive breast implants following a mastectomy
• replacing burned areas with newly created flaps of expanded skin
• creating dermis from the scalp that will retain normal hair growth for repair of the sincipital or occipital regions of the head
• creating skin with a nevus tissue expander to allow nevus tissues to be replaced with new, unaffected skin
• recreating severely damaged facial features and closing defects
• replacing skin loss due to disease or traumatic injuries

The use of tissue expanders has greatly altered the way certain birth defects, such as giant congenital nevus, are treated. Nevus tissue expander devices enable a child's body to "grow" extra skin that can be used to replace the defective tissues that might put a child at increased risk for developing malignant melanoma later in life.

The advantages of tissue expansion over traditional grafting for the treatment of giant congenital nevus and other defects are many and include a good match of skin color, sensation, and texture. Because the expanded skin is never disconnected from its original blood and nerve supply, it is also more likely to thrive following surgery and less likely to produce unsightly scarring.