What is meant by skin grafting ?

Skin grafting is a surgical procedure used for burns and injuries. In this procedure, skin is removed from one area of the body and transplanted to a different area of the body. This surgery was done to cover the skin that has burns and injuries on their body. Generally, skin grafting is done by using anesthesia to make it a painless procedure. Some of the skin grafting advantages are better cosmetic results, it helps to restore the skin during the surgery, and it also promotes the healing of large burns and large wounds.

Skin grafting is divided into three types. They are split-thickness graft, full-thickness graft, and composite graft.

Split-thickness graft: In this procedure, the skin is removed from the top layer like epidermis and portion of dermis. These layers are taken from the site where healthy skin is located called the donor site. It is generally used to cover a large area of the body. These grafts tend to be fragile and typically have a smooth appearance and they also appear paler than the adjoint skin.

Full-thickness graft: It involves removing all the epidermis and dermis. This type of graft is used for small burns and highly visible body parts as this procedure has better cosmetic results. These tend to be smaller pieces of the skin from the donor site where it’s usually pulled together and closed in a straight line incision with stitches.

Composite graft: A composite graft is a small graft that contains skin and primary cartilage and other tissue. Some donor sites include ear skin and cartilage to reconstruct nasal alar rim defects.

Skin grafting procedure:

In the skin grafting procedure, they remove the injured tissue and select the donor site, the area where the healthy skin is removed, and placed over the cleaned burn area. It was done by the plastic surgeon, the operation will start by removing the skin from the donor site. If you have a split-thickness graft, the skin will be removed from the area of the body such as the hip, and outside of your thigh. Full-thickness grafts choose donor site from the abdomen, groin, and collarbone. surgeons use skin grafting to restore the barrier function and cosmetic appearance of the skin after irreparable damage. Skin grafting involves removing damaged or dead skin tissue and replacing it with new, healthy skin. Skin grafting is major surgery with serious risks and potential complications.

Once the skin is removed from the donor site, the plastic surgeon will carefully place it over the transplant area and secure it with stitching and surgical dressing. It takes at least one to three hours of time for the surgery and if you had a split-thickness graft you should stay in the hospital for a few days after the skin grafting procedure is done. In a split-thickness graft, the skin will mesh. After the surgery, plastic surgeons will give you the medication to reduce the pain. After grafting it starts developing blood vessels that begin to grow from the tissues below into the donor skin and connect the skin within two days.

The donor site will be cured within one to three weeks, but the graft site will take more time to cure which is three to four weeks after the surgery. After the surgery will have to stop doing activities for some days because it stretches and injures the graft site.

Pain control is important for the cure and a smooth recovery. There will be some discomfort after your surgery. Your surgeon will treat your pain so you can feel comfortable and can get the rest you need. you can consult your surgeon if your pain gets worse or changes because it may be a sign of a complication.

Who needs skin grafting Procedure?

The skin graft is done where the skin has been lost due to burning and injury. Some reasons for skin grafting include skin infection, deep burn, skin cancer surgery, open wounds, and large wounds. A skin grafting procedure is required when the area of the skin damage is too big to be closed using simple stitches alone. This graft covers the wound or burns and attaches itself to the cells below and starts to grow in its new place. First-degree burns cure naturally because your body is able to replace the damaged skin cells. Second and full-thickness burns require skin grafting surgery for a quick cure. It is done in a surgical procedure that consists of

• Removal of the injured tissue
• Selecting the donor site
• Collecting where the graft is removed from the donor site
• Placing and securing the skin graft over the surgically cleaned wound so it can be cured

 Risks after skin grafting Procedure :

There are some risks after surgery like an allergic reaction to the medicines, bleeding, blood clots, loss of grafted skin, increased sensitivity, loss of sensation, skin discoloration, scarring, and infection. Due to some complexity of the surgery, skin grafting is commonly associated with a number of risks which may include internal bleeding, wound infection, and sometimes reduce skin sensation.

Sarayu cosmetic and plastic surgery hospital is a well-designed clinic which is a center for comprehensive surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures provided by the expert plastic surgeon, dermatologist successfully during the past decade. We utilize the latest and appropriate technology for all cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgical treatments. Our experts understand that the appearance of your body can affect your confidence and happiness and handle each case with extreme sensitivity.