Soft Tissue Engineering.

There is a recognized need to reconstruct and restore complex craniomaxillofacial soft tissues. The objective of this article is to focus on the role that tissue engineering/regenerative medicine can play in addressing various barriers (vascularity, tissue bulk, volitional control, and esthetics) and impediments (timing, regional applicability/dissemination, and regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration) to optimal tissue reconstruction of complex soft tissue structures. We will use the lips as an example to illustrate our points.