No, new skin cannot grow over dead skin. Dead tissue, also known as necrosis, prevents wound healing. This is because living tissue requires oxygen and nutrients to thrive, and dead tissue blocks the flow of these essential elements.
For example, if you have a large gash on your skin, you may see dead skin rolled to the side of the gash, which prevents the wound from healing. This is why wound debridement is often necessary to remove dead tissue, allowing new, healthy skin to grow.
Dead skin can also be a problem with burns. In these cases, skin grafts may be necessary to replace the damaged skin with healthy tissue from another part of the body.
