Helping Hands

San Francisco - Using a dermal skin substitute instead of skin grafting in children with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) speeds postoperative healing following surgical release of contracted and webbed hands (pseudosyndactyly). In addition to decreased healing times, children also reported decreased discomfort compared to previous surgeries using split thickness skin grafting, Gary Sibbald, B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.C., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.