Study suggests healing skin without scarring may be possible - Harvard Gazette

""Essentially, we found a way to make the wound healing outcome a lot better by learning how embryos do this so well. I'm excited because we pushed the needle in a really important direction.""

""When we have a wound, most skin cell types cannot regenerate, and we get a scar. But now I think we've found a way to change that, so that many cell types can regenerate, and we don't get a scar.""

""After injury, embryonic skin restores all cell types, but this ability fades quickly after birth. The study reveals the molecular mechanisms behind this switch - and how to turn them back on.""

Harvard stem cell biologists have identified a method to reactivate an embryonic healing mechanism that is inactive after birth, enabling full skin regeneration without scarring. This research, conducted on mice, reveals that while embryonic skin can heal without scars, this ability diminishes post-birth. The study uncovers the molecular mechanisms responsible for this transition and suggests potential therapeutic applications for human skin healing, aiming to improve outcomes for wound recovery by allowing various skin cell types to regenerate effectively.

Read at Harvard Gazette