Skin Grafts

Skin Gfts are a surgical procedure. it involves removing skin from one part of your body (donor site). It is done if s part of your body has lost its protective covering of skin due to injury, scarring, burns or illness.

During procedure most skin grafts are preformed using general Anthesia, you will sleep painlessly, throughout.

Reasons

• Skin infections
• deep burns
• large wounds
• bad sores
• other Uclers on skin that don't heal well

Split-level thickness grafts- removing only 2 levels of skin may appear paler then adjourning skin.

Full-thickness Grafts- removing the muscles and blood vessels as well as the top layer of skin. used for small wounds on a highly visible if the body. they blend in well and usually grow with the patient.

Preparation

• Docotors Schedual skin Grafts several weeks in advance
• might have to stop taking certain meds, it may interfere with the bloods ability to form clots.
• minimize the stair climbing
• make sure you have someone stay with you to take care of you
• no eating or drinking after midnight on the day of the surgery

Procedure

• patient puts on hospital gown and is given an IV for during & after
• when in the operation room, a docotor will inject a medicine in IV (general anesthetic) which makes the patient fall asleep without feeling pain from the surgery

Untitled Slide

• surgeon will remove skin from the donor site
• carefully places it over the transplant area, fixes it in place with a surgical dressing, stitches. (also dressing wont stick to the wound)

Untitled Slide

• surgeon will remove skin from the donor site
• carefully places it over the transplant area, fixes it in place with a surgical dressing, stitches. (also dressing wont stick to the wound)
• The donor site takes 1–2 weeks to heal

Possible Side effects

Some side effects are:

• Swelling
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Scarring
• Wound seperation
• Graft failure
• Flap Necrosis
• Pain

The literature comparing methods of graft application and subsequent outcomes is poor,but reports indicate a graft failure rate between 2 and 30%.