Finite Element Modeling of Mechanically Driven Skin Growth due to Different Expander Geometries Available to Purchase

Tissue expansion has become an important technique used in breast reconstruction after mastectomy and for repairing large damaged skin areas such as burns [1]. According to the National Cancer Institute, the estimated number of breast cancer cases in 2010 in the United States was 207,090 [2]. Many of these women underwent mastectomies, and tissue expanders were used for breast reconstruction as a common procedure afterwards. Even though several studies from clinical and experimental points of view have been presented, there is still a poor understanding of the mechanobiological procedures occurring during skin growth. In particular, it is of interest to determine the effect of expanders with different geometries in strain, stress, and area gained during expansion.