synthflesh

A generic term for any kind of artificial skin.

Humanity can very easily grow artificial dermal tissues, both made of organic materials and inorganic materials. The grade and quality of these artificial skins vary significantly depending on type and producer.

At the lowest level, artificial skin is simply grown organic skin. This can be prepared ahead of time, either as a generic non-reactive culture for medical use, first aid kits, and the like, or custom-grown for patients such as for burn grafts.

At a similar low level, cheap synthetic artificial skin will bond and work with the surrounding organic skin, but fails to interface with nerves and other tissues, effectively being 'dead skin' in that area that does not necrose. It is rarely any more durable or otherwise an improvement over equivalent organic skin.

Above that, genetically-enhanced organic cultures are used to either improve the medical care using the artificial skin, or improve the end-result. This is a form of post-embryonic bionetics, essentially allowing for a new skin of genetically enhanced organic skin that integrates with the body below, alongside whatever additional benefits may have been included, whether genetic or synthetic.

At the highest level, Synthflesh refers to explicitly non-organic material that behaves like organic skin. This includes full integration with the below tissue, leading to no diminished results compared to organic skin while conferring improvements only possible with synthetic materials; durability, resistance to dangers, ease of replacement or regeneration, etc. Generally it can be programmed to a degree while being maintained, to adjust factors such as the integration with pain nerves.

Since initiating trade, the Daqin Empire has regularly undercut human pharmaceutical companies in sales of high-end organic artificial skin, due to their expertise.