Skin grafting

There are over a thousand entities in dermatology; it is difficult to understand all in just a few pages. We are going to describe a few common skin problems. This is purely educational; if you have a skin disease, please consult your dermatologist.

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, making up 16% of our total body weight. Sometimes our skin may be injured severely beyond repair, as in the case of serious infections, road traffic accidents and burns. Skin grafting surgery is a procedure that recruits skin from other healthy area to cover the injured site, so the wound can heal.

Skin graft surgery can be divided into split-thickness grafts and full-thickness grafts. Split-thickness graft take the epidermis and part of the dermis from the donor site, whereas full-thickness graft remove the whole of the dermis.

Full-thickness grafts are useful both cosmetically and functionally, as in the case of face or hand injury. There is comparatively less contraction after grafting. Split-thickness grafts on the other hand can survive less favourable grafting factors, so medically it has more usage. There is more contraction after split-thickness grafting and the skin may appear shiny and hairless.

Skin grafting can be helpful in victims whose looks have been destroyed in accidents.