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Skin Graft Procedure for a Small Wound

A skin graft is the surgical procedure that involves removing healthy skin to cover missing or damaged skin that is burned or contains a wound that is non-healing. A skin graft procedure for a small wound may become necessary to protect the body from harmful bacteria, fluid loss and viruses that can enter through an unhealed wound. Skin used for skin grafts usually comes from the patient's upper arm, inner thigh, buttocks or legs but can also come from an animal or synthetic tissue.

  1. Procedure

    • The skin graft procedure begins with cleaning your small wound with a saline solution to remove any dead skin that may prevent the graft from healing successfully. The doctor will need to cease blood flow into your wound by injecting a medication that will cause blood vessels to constrict or by applying pressure. To determine how much skin is needed to be grafted, she will measure the size of the wound. The doctor will trace the pattern of your wound and will then outline it over the site where the healthy skin will be removed. You will be given a local anesthesia directly to the area to numb it, and the doctor will use an instrument that cuts thin slices of skin tissue called a dermatome to perform a split-thickness graft. This involves removing the top layer of your skin along with a part of the middle layer from the donation site of your body to cover the wound and the graft will be held in place by staples or sutures. A bandage will be applied to both the area on your body where the skin was donated as well as the newly grafted area that is covering the small wound.

    Recovery

    • You need to follow your doctor's instructions for caring for the skin graft to ensure its success and healing. Be sure to bandage it properly for the length of time required, which is usually up to two weeks and you should avoid any activities that will stretch the graft or cause any trauma to occur to it. You don't want to disturb the process of the new blood vessels growing into your translated skin that occurs within 36 hours of the procedure. Make sure the grafted skin area is kept clean and dry, and don't expose it to prolonged sunlight. Check the site to see that it's healing, and contact your doctor if you notice any signs of infection, swelling, redness, excessive bleeding or discharge and if you experience fever, increasing pain, dizziness or nausea.

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