Our skin is our largest organ. It is what keeps the environment at bay. Those people who need a skin graft due to an injury to their skin currently have limited choices. Either a skin graft or artificial skin to replace damaged tissues.
There have been great innovations in stem cells in the past few years. Now scientists in Japan have managed to create lab-grown skin from mouse cells. More importantly they have managed to get this skin to create multiple layers and the cultured skin has grown hair and glands.
Until now culturing and grafting techniques produce skin that lacks normal skin functionality. It often lacks hair and sweat glands which are an important part of skin functionality.
It is expected to take about a decade for this to translate to humans. It is hoped that burn victims can have a skin graft that fully replicates normal skin functionality.