Abstract
Modern advances in tissue engineering have transformed the plastic surgeon's management
strategies across a wide variety of applications. Comprehension of the fundamentals
of biologic constructs is critical to navigating the available armamentarium. It is
essential that plastic surgeons become familiar with some of the existing methods
for utilizing biologics as well as the advantages and limitations to their use. In
this article, the authors describe the basic science of biologics with a focus on
acellular dermal matrices (ADMs), and review the recent evidence behind their use
for a variety of reconstructive and aesthetic purposes. The review is organized by
system and examines the common indications, techniques, and outcomes pertaining to
the application of ADMs in select anatomic areas. The final section briefly considers
possible future directions for using biologics in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Keywords
Biologics - acellular dermal matrix - plastic surgery - reconstructive surgery
