Skin Grafting in Pune
Skin grafting is a surgical procedure in which skin is removed from one healthy part of the body and replaced over another body region that has lost its top protective layer of the skin. This is called an autograft. If healthy skin is taken from another person’s body and replaced over the patient’s body, it is known as an allograft. Our surgeons typically perform skin grafting in Pune for patients with burns, skin illness, or severe injuries.
When Is Skin Grafting Done
It is performed when the top protective layer of the skin is lost due to the following reasons:
- Infection
- Deep burns
- Skin cancer surgeries
- Bed Sores
- Open wounds
Skin Grafting Procedure And Aftercare Steps
The doctor schedules and prepares plans for the skin graft surgery several weeks before. The surgeon takes a comprehensive skin profile analysis of the site that has to be transplanted. You are expected to convey medications information related to the consumption of OTC medications or aspirin to your surgeon to avoid any unforeseen consequences.
On the day of surgery, the doctor administers anaesthesia so that the person falls asleep or is in the subconscious state not to feel pain. Then the doctor peels thin slices of skin from the donor part and transplants or grafts it on the site. The surgeon usually retrieves skin from the groyne, forearm, abdomen, etc.
After grafting skin in the site, the skin is secured carefully with sutures or tapes. The donor part is also wounded with tapes to avoid exposure to infection. The surgery has to be performed very carefully; otherwise, any chances of fluid formation and stagnation in the transplant site will defeat the surgeries’ purpose.
Aftercare:
Typically, the graft site will be observed closely by our surgeon team up to 36 hours of conjunction on graft in the site. If the graft does not develop blood vessels, it might signify an infection, blood clot, or water stagnation in the graft site. The doctors will treat with targeted medications or other techniques to treat graft. However, our expert team surpasses most cases with positive results requiring prescribed medications and follow-up appointments as aftercare.
Why Choose Dr. Amit Mulay For Skin Grafting Surgery?
Dr. Amit Mulay works individually on each case, investing sufficient time in understanding patients’ medical cases. Then, he recommends diagnostic and analytical tests based on which we plan treatment. Our extremely qualified and skilled teams perform skin grafting in Pune very diligently, leaving no room for errors in surgery. We are fully equipped with medically advanced instruments and apply the latest procedures to give the best possible results.
Skin Graft FAQs
A skin graft surgery is a piece of skin, either a partial or full-thickness, removed from one part of the body and transferred to another part.
Skin grafts cover wounds and areas of skin loss following burns, injury, infection, or tumor removal surgery.
No, there are a few ideal conditions for which skin grafting can be done.
The wound should be free from any dead tissue, and no sign of infection in the wound. Also, there are a few cases where flap surgery might be considered instead of skin grafting.
Wounds with exposed bones, tendons, nerves, or blood vessels require flap surgery. Also, a few wounds over joints and face would be treated by flap surgery for better cosmetic and functional outcomes. Wounds after cancer removal generally require flap surgery.
A skin graft can not be taken from a patient’s relative. It is because the body’s immune system will not allow the graft. However, a skin graft can be taken from another person in rare circumstances, like extensive burns. This is only a temporary measure, and the graft will have to be replaced by one’s own graft once the wound heals.
A skin graft can be taken from any part of the body. However, thighs are the most common place for graft harvest. In addition, skin in the groin, behind the ear, and the inner arms are common sites of full-thickness skin graft removal.
Plastic surgeons do skin grafting. Depending on the site of skin graft harvest, and donor site, appropriate anesthesia is given. The wound and donor site are then cleaned with an antiseptic solution. The wound is then prepared, and any unhealthy tissues are removed from the wound.
Then skin graft is harvested using a special instrument called a dermatome, and only partial skin thickness is removed in most cases. A skin graft is then applied to the wound fixed with sutures or stapler clips, both donor and recipient sites are then dressed. The time of the surgery can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the size of the wound.
The donor site of the skin graft heals like a superficial burn, and the dressing applied during surgery is not removed until it slides down on its own, which generally takes 15-21days.
Once skin grafting is done, absolute immobilization of the wounded area is mandatory. Thus a plaster is applied, dressing is checked after every 2-5 days depending on the condition of the initial wound. The donor site is not done for up to 2-3 weeks.
A full-thickness skin graft matches the normal skin. However, a partial thickness skin graft would never match the natural skin in quality, strength, sensation, and feel. However, keeping a close follow-up with your plastic surgeon would help better maturation of a skin graft, and thus, good functional and cosmetic results can be achieved.