The Arts Meets Science to Create the First-Ever Bulletproof Skin

The latest dermatology news details Dutch artist, Jalila Essaidi‘s newest art exhibit and what it means for skin treatments. Her display shows how the use of spider silk can make human skin so resistant that a bullet from a .22 caliber rifle cannot penetrate it. We, at Island Dermatology are always interested in any new evidence showing successful testing done to alter the human skin for the better. Essiadi told reporter Cyrus Farivar, in an interview for an upcoming article, that she came up with this idea after seeing American molecular biologist, Randy Lewis, do different experiments with goat’s milk. The goat’s milk contains the same protein needed to make spider silk and made her believe this silk may be able to alter human skin.

Essaidi worked closely with Lewis, who provided the silk and the Department of Dermatology in Leiden, who helped create the altered skin. They were able to weave the spider skin in between the dermis and the epidermis layers of the skin. Our Seattle dermatology office looks at this evidence very seriously, because it may change the way we can treat certain skin conditions. The fact that she was successfully able to grow the spider silk with the human skin is great dermatology news and definitely a step in the right direction. Island Dermatology will keep an eye on this research to see how it can be used to best benefit our clients.