What Is a Skin Graft?
If you have uncontrolled skin cancer or an active infection, you cannot receive a skin graft.
These normally require the use ofskin flapsor muscle flaps, where the transplanted tissue has its own blood supply.
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Known as autografts, skin is harvested (removed) from another area of a person’s body.
Surgeons make an effort to choose a donor site that is normally covered by clothes.
Isograft:An isograft is a tissue donation taken from an identical twin.
If this is an option, it would have the best chance of success other than someone’s skin.
This has become an option because of the limited availability of human skin tissue.
Xenografts may be used as a temporary skin covering, such as in large burns.
Skin Thickness
Full thickness skin graft:Afull-thickness graft removes the epidermis and the full dermis.
The use of full-thickness grafts is somewhat limited.
Split thickness skin graft:A split-thickness graft is the most commonly used pop in of skin graft.
This allows the source site to heal more quickly.
Face grafts are usually small, full-thickness, or composite grafts.
Discuss any smoking or other use of tobacco products with your healthcare provider.
These will affect your skin’s ability to heal after a graft.
Recovery
Recovery after receiving a skin graft will vary depending on the complexity of the procedure.
A split-thickness graft may heal after only a few days.
Full-thickness grafts take longer to heal and may require a one- or two-week hospital stay.
The donor site typically takes between a few days to a week to heal.
Your healthcare provider will likely give you a prescription for painkillers to help minimize pain.
After you are discharged from the hospital, you will wear a dressing for one to two weeks.
Ask your provider how you should care for the dressing and protect it from getting wet.
You will also need to protect the graft from trauma for three to four weeks.
This includes avoiding bumps to the areas or doing any exercise that might injure or stretch the graft.
Prognosis
The prognosis for most skin grafts is very good.
The reason for your surgery can impact your prognosis.
Healing can also be impaired if you smoke or have poor blood flow to the area being grafted.
Skin can be used from a person’s own body, or can be donated from others.
The thickness of the donated skin can vary as well based on the size and reason for the graft.
If any force moves the skin away from the wound bed, it is at risk of failing.
It is possible for a skin graft to grow hair.
This could happen in a full-thickness skin graft, as the hair follicle is usually removed with the skin.
It does not happen in split-thickness skin grafts.
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