Skin graft

A skin graft involves taking a piece of skin from a healthy area of the patient (the donor site) and placing it on an area where skin is missing (the recipient site). It is used when the skin loss is too large to be closed directly: after a deep burn, a major wound, removal of a skin tumour or an ulcer that will not heal. There are two main types of graft. A split-thickness graft takes only the superficial layer of the skin, usually from the thigh; the donor site heals on its own in two to three weeks, like a graze. A full-thickness graft takes the whole thickness of the skin, often from behind the ear, the crease of the elbow or the groin; it gives a better appearance, especially on the face, and the donor site is closed with stitches. For the graft to take, the recipient site must be clean and have a good blood supply. The graft is held still by a special dressing for a few days, while new blood vessels grow in to nourish it. The final appearance, slightly different from the surrounding skin, improves over the months. At Clinique Pasteur Tunis, skin grafts are performed in the operating theatre by a plastic surgeon, with dressing follow-up until both areas have fully healed.