What is the expected outcome of a skin injury in tissue that has lost contact inhibition?

In tissue that has lost contact inhibition, the expected outcome of a skin injury is excessive growth of replacement tissue. Contact inhibition is a process that normally regulates cell growth and prevents cells from dividing when they come into contact with each other. When this regulatory mechanism is disrupted, as can happen in certain pathological conditions, cells may proliferate uncontrollably.

In the context of a skin injury, when the surrounding cells lose their ability to inhibit growth upon contact, it can lead to an overproduction of cells at the wound site. This can result in the formation of excessive replacement tissue, which may manifest as complications such as hypertrophic scars or keloids.

Normal tissue regeneration typically involves a controlled response where cells proliferate to a balance that restores tissue integrity without overgrowth. Delayed healing and infection risk are generally associated with factors such as poor blood supply or underlying conditions, which do not directly relate to the phenomenon of contact inhibition. Reduced growth of replacement tissue would imply that cells have an increased restraint on growth, which contradicts the premise of impaired contact inhibition. Therefore, the most accurate outcome in the scenario presented is the excessive growth of replacement tissue.