Abstract
The complex procedures involved in the reconstructive surgery of human skin to minimize post-operative scarring are here modeled by means of an automated computational tool. A finite strain no-compression membrane model accounting for the tendency to develop wrinkling regions in the skin is presented. The constitutive behavior of the material is then described by a suitable hyperelastic incompressible potential. Transpositions of skin flaps during surgery procedures are here computationally described by a general mapping technique of the internal boundary corresponding to surgery cut. The archetypal reconstructive surgery of a Z-plasty, where a rotational transposition of the resulting triangular flaps is involved, is considered in details, along with multiple Z-plasty and rhombic flap transposition. The results are discussed in terms of optimal deformation parameters, related to stress/strain localization, displacement discontinuities and wrinkling.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 105215 |
Journal | Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials |
Volume | 131 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2022 |
Keywords
- Hyperelastic membrane
- Reconstructive surgery
- Rhombic flap transposition
- Skin mechanics
- Z-plasty
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanics of Materials
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biomaterials