Introduction
Skin grafting is a special type of surgery used for traumatic incidents such as wounds, burns, infections, or painful outward results of an illness. The procedure consists in transplanting healthy skin to the site of injury or damage. Healthy skin either covers the skin that is at the site of injury or completely replaces the place where it is absent. Medical skin transfer has both undoubted advantages and risks that must be considered when agreeing to surgery. The professional development of the procedure, the ability to fight cancer, and the adaptability of the graft in the case of sufficient health of the patient all testify to the benefits of skin grafting.
The Professional Development of the Procedure
The initial advantage of skin grafting over other types of operations for the treatment of damaged skin is the well-developed mechanism of transplantation, which implies the reliability and safety of this operation. The principle of the operation traditionally consists of the transfer of skin elements from an undamaged area of the body to the one that has experienced damage. However, it should be noted that the choice of the site for skin removal is chosen by the surgeon depending on the degree of penetration of the wound and, accordingly, the required level of grafting density (Prohaska & Cook, 2022). For example, partial, or split skin grafting, is a process in which only a thin layer of skin tissue is removed from a spot on the body that heals quickly and painlessly. Usually, an inconspicuous area of ​​the body traditionally hidden by clothing, such as the back of the thigh, is used as a site for removal and subsequent transfer of the skin.
In the case of full-density grafting, a full layer of skin is removed – usually, areas such as the neck or the back of the ear are affected. The duration of healing of the operated wound depends on the depth of the surgical intervention and can range from weeks to several months during which the nerve endings are restored. Regardless of the level of complexity of the operation, the skin eventually adapts to the damaged area, which proves the professional quality and reliability of the grafting.
The Ability to Fight Cancer
Skin grafting is also demonstrating its practical value in the event of a need to treat skin cancer. Surgical intervention in such cases is required if necessary to remove a painful piece of bodily tissue damaged by the disease (Prohaska & Cook, 2022). Such surgery takes place if it is required to remove not only the area of ​​skin affected by cancer but also to cover a wider area. This is done as a preventive measure to remove any skin that may contain cancer cells. The skin is subsequently moved to the cleaned area, supported by blood infusions to supply the tissues with the necessary nutrients. Another example of cancer treatment is operations such as the removal of lymph nodes from the armpits. These require subsequent grafting as well as exercises and massage treatments for healing. Skin grafting can be used not only to heal tissues damaged externally or through infection, but also in the case of such a devastating disease as cancer.
The adaptability of the Graft
The possibility of infection, however, is a strong argument against the grafting procedure. There are cases when the skin removed from the donor site does not take root in a new place, which is expressed in several complications (Prohaska & Cook, 2022). Symptoms of these stratified skin engraftment problems include internal and external bleeding, suppuration of the skin area, and infections. Moreover, non-adoption of new skin can be expressed in a slowdown or lack of blood circulation, which slows down the wound healing process. From the point of view of physical sensations, these symptoms are expressed either in a loss of sensitivity in a skin area or a special acute susceptibility to external influences expressed in pain.
However, these complications usually turn out to be related to the patient’s health status before admission to the operation, as well as their habits, which are reflected in the body’s response to such critical interventions. If the patient smokes excessively as a regular habit, this significantly reduces the chances of engraftment and healing of the skin after transplantation. Thus, unsuccessful cases of poor skin engraftment are usually associated with the bad habits of patients and do not allow them to claim the impracticality or danger of skin grafting as a procedure in general.
Conclusion
The benefits of skin grafting are seen in all possible areas of application of this procedure. A variety of approaches, depending on the level of the problem, allows skin grafting of different density levels. Grafting is useful not only in case of external damage but also in the removal of skin segments affected by cancer cells. It happens that the skin does not take root, but this usually happens in case of a low level of self-care of the patient before the operation. Thus, this operation can be recommended not only as a medical intervention but also from the point of view of aesthetic surgery.
Reference
Prohaska, J., & Cook, C. (2022). Skin grafting.StatPearls Publishing.