Skin grafting is whereby a healthy part of the skin is removed from the donor site to be used in repairing a wounded part of the body. The main reason for performing such surgery is when a certain part of the skin is damaged. There are body parts that are mostly preferred for skin grafts like buttocks and inner thighs. A scalpel is used in this process but the most recommended gadget to ensure perfection is a special harvesting machine. The pattern and the size of the wound are taken and then outlined on the place to the donor the skin before the surgery is conducted (Ratner, 2008). Skin grafting is done in three systems. The first system is split-thickness graft, this involves the surgery of both top and the middle layers of the skin. Compared to the other systems, there is a higher probability of this site healing faster. The challenges of this system are the fragility and color differences of the graft.
The second system is a full-thickness graft that encompasses complete removal of the skin. In such a case, the donor site would be stitched for it to heal. This type of graft has the best outcome when done on places such as the face where cosmetic appearance is crucial. The main challenge of this system is that it can only be transferred to the area with blood vessels, thus imposing some limitations (Ratner, 2008). The third and final system is the composite grafts, consisting of skin and fat, mostly to repair the areas with three dimensions for example the ear. Once the graft has been placed, it’s then supposed to be tightened with stitches or be stapled. During the first few hours, the grafts consume air and nutrients from the receiving site tissues, but later new blood vessels develop. Finally, cells develop from the graft and repair the wounded area completely.
The duration taken by the wound to heal depends on the seriousness of the injury. The size of the graft is also a factor to determine the time to be taken by the wound to heal completely. There is pain during and after the procedure, though doctors make use of anesthesia to control the pain. After the procedure, the victim is given some prescription to reduce the pain until the wound heals (Ratner 2008). The patient stay at the hospital will depend on the care that is required and the size of the wound. For a serious and a big wound, the patient may be required to spend the first few days resting to avoid straining the affected areas. For these few days, the patient may be required to stay in the hospital.
The wound should be given extra care for it to heal quickly. Some of the precautions given by the doctor when nursing the wound are: the recipient site should be cleaned as many times as possible and dried completely (Ratner, 2008). The recipient site should be kept free from any form of trauma to ensure the muscles are relaxed all through. The wound should not be exposed to direct sunlight, especially for a long time.
The wound should be inspected regularly to ensure that there is good circulation. This is proven by the appearance of pink coloration, which is an indication of a healing process (Ratner, 2008). The patient is given some instructions for bandaging the wound that should be followed. Bandaging the wound provides it with the right support as it heals, as well as preventing some complications after the healing process that may come due to intense tightening.
Reference
Ratner, D. (2008). “Skin Grafting: from here to there.” Dermatol Clin, 16: 75-90. PubMed.