When someone loses a limb, how does the body know to grow skin over the “stump”?

Question

When someone loses a limb, how does the body know to grow skin over the “stump”?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Usually, it does not grow “skin” in the same way that it would grow ordinary skin. Instead, it grows *scar tissue.*

With modern medicine, we have learned how to *graft* skin over the amputated area, so that it will not develop scar tissue (or only a very small amount), and instead keep the beneficial characteristics that actual skin has and scar tissue doesn’t have. Scar tissue is stronger in some specific ways, but mostly weaker than proper skin, and won’t have hair follicles or other properties true skin has.