Tissue expander. Following deep excision surgery to remove a mole, this 50 year-old female patient had a tissue expander implanted under the skin abov

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Tissue expander. Following deep excision surgery to remove a mole, this 50 year-old female patient had a tissue expander implanted under the skin above the excised area. A tissue expander is a silicon bag which can be inflated with saline solution. In this image the expander has been in place for 12 weeks, with more fluid injected into it each week. This stretches the skin, allowing the growth of sufficient new skin with a local blood supply for reconstructive surgery on nearby tissue.

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Size: 4305px × 2859px
Photo credit: © MID ESSEX HOSPITAL SERVICES NHS TRUST/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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