Pinching the skin to observe how it wrinkles is a technique used by plastic surgeons to evaluate the mechanical properties of the skin. Incisions must be made along the direction of maximal tension in order to obtain a very fine scar. This principle is so important that surgeons have developed special procedures to rotate the skin in those cases where an old scar does not follow the apropiate direction. Our aim is to understand more about the physical mechanisms behind the healing process and quantify different surgical procedures.

People involved

Rodrigo Cabello (Hospital Militar)
Enrique Cerda (Universidad de Santiago)
Bernardo Morales (Universidad de Santiago)
Osvaldo Yuri (Hospital Militar)

References

"Wrinkling of Stretched Elastic Sheets", Cerda, E., Ravi-Chandar, K., Mahadevan, L., 2002. Nature, 419, 579 -580.
Mechanics of scars, Cerda E., 2005. J Biomech., 38, 1598-603.
Relaxed skin tension lines (RSTL) versus other skin lines, Borges, A.F., 1984.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 73, 144 -150.