Cicatrisation

Cicatrisation (Lat. cicatrix, 'a scar'), the process of healing or skinning over of an ulcer or broken surface in the skin or in a mucous membrane, by which a fibrous material of a dense resisting character, covered by a protecting layer of epithelium, is substituted for the lost texture. The new tissue in such a case is called the cicatrix, and usually resembles to a considerable extent the structure which it replaces; it is, however, less elastic, and from its shrinking in volume may produce an appearance of puckering. This shrinking sometimes leads to serious results, especially after extensive Burns (q.v.). The glands and other special structures of the original tissue are wanting in the cicatrix, which, however, performs perfectly well, in most instances, the office of protection to the parts below the surface. See INFLAMMATION and ULCERS.