Angiogenesis, the growth of new capillaries£ i'om pre-existing blood vessels, is a complex multi-step process involving extravasation of plasma proteins, degradation of extracellular matrix, endothelial cell migration and proliferation, and capillary tube formation. As in other organs, primary angiogeneSIs IS a prominent feature of developing skin in embl'), ogenesis. In contrast, the adult cutaneous vasculature is normally quiescent, with the possible exception of some angiogenesis related to the early imagen phase of the hair cycle. Adult skin, however, retains the capacity to initiate a rapid neovascular response to pathological stimuli; this" second-ary" angiogenesis is prominent in many skin disorders including tissue repair, inflammation (eg, psoriasis), and neoplasia. This suggests that normal vascular quiescence is maint~ lined by the dominant influence of natural angiogenic inhibitors over angiogenic stimuli, whereas angiogenesis can be readily induced by increased local concentrations of angiogenic factors and/or upregulation of their receptors on vascular endothelial cells. R. ecent advances in vascular biology have identified sOllle of the key factors that control vascular growth, providing surprising insights into the complex and interdependent cascades that result in enhanced skin vascularization. Based on this experimental progress, the following concepts might facilitate our understanding of how skin angiogenesis is controlled on a molecular level and might contt'ibute to the identification of new targets for future research.