Medical #7 - A graft site with split-thickness skin graft, looking all meshed, smoothed, and secured with staples

A graft site with split-thickness skin graft, looking all meshed, smoothed, and secured with staples.

The second picture shows the donor site from anterior thigh following harvesting of the part.

Debridement of the wound area and grafting with autologous split thickness grafts is still the gold standard for the treatment of chronic wounds such as a non-healing foot and leg ulcers in patients with diabetes.

Whenever skin is transplanted from one location to another on the same individual, it is termed an autograft.

Full-thickness skin graft is involving the entire thickness of the dermis, while in split-thickness skin graft less than the entire thickness of the dermis is included. The choice between full- and split-thickness grafting depends on wound condition, location, thickness, size, and aesthetic concerns.

Once removed, the graft is placed on the area in need of covering and held in place by a dressing and a few stitches.

The tiny holes, or fenestrations on the skin are made to allow the graft to be expanded to cover large defects, provide a route for drainage of blood or serum that may accumulate under the graft, which helps reduce tension and the risk of infection and improve vascularization, and increase the flexibility of the graft so that it can conform to uneven shapes.

The healing occurs as the spaces between the mesh fill in with new skin growth.

The donor site is also covered with a dressing to prevent infection from occurring. Recovery time from a split-thickness skin graft is generally fairly rapid, often less than three weeks.