Skin Grafting

About Skin Grafting

Skin grafting transfers healthy skin from one area of the body, the donor site, to cover a wound where skin has been lost or removed. Common uses include deep burns, large traumatic wounds, chronic wounds and defects left after removal of skin cancers. A split thickness graft contains the epidermis and part of the dermis and is harvested with a device called a dermatome, often from the thigh. The donor site heals on its own from remaining skin elements. Split thickness grafts can be meshed, cut into a net pattern and expanded to cover larger areas. A full thickness graft includes the entire dermis, usually taken from areas such as behind the ear, above the collarbone or the groin, with the donor site closed directly. Full thickness grafts contract less and match color and texture better, making them useful on the face, but they cover smaller areas. A graft initially survives by absorbing nutrients from the wound bed before new blood vessels grow into it, so close contact and immobilization are important. Skin substitutes and cultured skin are used for very extensive burns.