Column Chronicles: Skin yarn changes surgical stitching

Skin yarn changes surgical stitching

Frank Cotolo
July 15, 2021

Medical scientists took another step into the future, only they did it in the present, though this story, in part, starts in the past.

Last year, a team of scientists created a new use for human skin by manipulating cells from skin already in use to make string from the skin that they call "yarn". The yarn is string made of human skin that can be used in medical procedures instead of regular string.

"It's part of the category of medical textiles," says a medical journalist who talked under conditions of anonymity (and a few bucks). "Surgeons stitch people with it when stitching is needed. One doctor told me it is very strong. He said he tested it flying his kite."

Another source, this one closer to the actual experiments, also spoke under condition of anonymity (and a few more bucks), told us that the skin yarn did not have to be taken out after the wound heals. "It melds, that is it merges, that is it joins, that is it is absorbed, that is, how can I say it? It stays on the body and becomes a part of it."

Does that mean, I ask the source, that unlike synthetic material doctors use in surgical procedures that there is no risk to the patient having a negative reaction to the skin-yarn sewing?

The source says, "You put that so well. I feel like a bad source now, because it took me so long to describe how the skin yarn melds or merges or joins or is absorbed and stays on the body and becomes a part of it."

I assure the source that you, the reader, will understand within the text of the article, but the source walks off with his head down, visibly upset at his participation.

Later, the source came to my office and said, "I can make up for what I did."

"It's fine, believe me, it was good."

"No, no," the source said. "I went home and rewrote my comment. It's like, the yarn, made from human skin integrates into the body of the host. Right? That explains it better than me saying the skin yarn melds or merges or joins or is absorbed and stays on the body and becomes a part of it. Please change your article so that it reads that way."

I told him I could not change the article, it already went to press and reassured him what he originally said was all right. The source went berserk. He screamed and shoved everything off of my desk. Then he started to pull his hair out and he ran through the aisles of the office and rolled on the floor until security guards came and took him away.

Anyway, the skin-yarn development opens up more medical advances everywhere for people having surgery.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.