What is skin transplantation?

Skin transplantation, also known as skin grafting, is a surgical procedure used to treat injuries or cosmetic concerns by removing skin from one area of the body and transplanting it to another

Why might someone need a skin transplant?

Skin transplants are often necessary for individuals with severe burns, extensive wounds, or skin cancer. They can also be used for cosmetic purposes, such as scar revision or enhancing the appearance of the skin

How is a skin transplant performed?

During a skin transplant, skin is harvested from a donor site on the body, typically using a dermatome. The harvested skin is then carefully placed and secured onto the recipient site. The area is then dressed and monitored for proper healing

services/skin-transplant-banner.webp

Skin Grafting

Skin grafting, or skin patching, is a therapeutic and cosmetic surgical procedure in which skin is removed from a certain area of the body with the aim of transplanting it to the site of injury resulting from burns or a certain disease. The transplanted part of the body is medically referred to as a "patch".

Causes of Skin Grafting

There are several reasons for skin grafting that lead doctors to resort to such surgical procedures, including:

Infection in the skin leading to damage, such as diseases associated with the autoimmune system.
Skin grafting is done for patients with third-degree burns, which are usually deep, such as exposure to chemicals, heat, or radiation.
If there is a large open wound and the skin has not grown automatically.
Infection or ulceration that has not healed after a period. Such as pressure ulcers that occur in people who stay in bed without movement for a long time.
Treatment of skin cancer through surgical operations, which rely on the removal of the affected skin.
Skin grafting is used to reconstruct the breast in cases of its removal due to breast cancer.

How Skin Grafting Works

Pre-operation

Before scheduling a skin grafting operation, the specialist doctor conducts comprehensive tests on the patient, including a clinical examination, where he examines the injury to see if it has affected the layers of the skin, and whether an infection has been transmitted from the injured area to other parts of the healthy skin. The patient is asked about the cause if it is a result of a disease or accident.

The specialist doctor requests the patient to undergo some necessary tests before performing the skin grafting operation.

If the patient is taking some medications that affect the blood clotting rate, such as aspirin or allergy, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic medications, the specialist doctor should be informed. In addition to informing the doctor about the patient's medical history and whether he suffers from chronic diseases. So that necessary measures can be taken before the operation, such as changing the dosage of the medication or stopping taking it to avoid complications during the operation.

If the patient is a smoker, he is prohibited from smoking before the surgery. To be able to recover quickly, and a few hours before the operation, determined by the specialist doctor, the patient is asked to fast from food or drink. Often the timing is before midnight, to avoid vomiting or choking during the operation.

During the Surgery

The operation begins by taking the skin from the donor sites mentioned above according to the type of operation. Where appropriate measurements are taken before removal according to the size of the injury, and it is removed using the dermatome technique, which is a sharp electric scalpel that helps to take a thin slice of skin. It is worth mentioning that the skin harvesting process from donor sites takes from an hour to two hours, depending on the size of the area to be grafted.

The skin is then grafted onto the injured area by meshing it with a meshing device and placing it. Then it is closed either by stitches or staples, where the operating surgeon makes several holes in the grafted skin, in order to stretch it, to allow fluids to exit the skin, to avoid graft failure. After the skin grafting is completed, the donor area is covered with dressings to avoid friction, after cleaning the area well from the damaged tissues using a surgical spoon or scalpel.

After the Operation

Blood vessels are supposed to start forming to connect the skin within 36 hours after the surgery. If this does not happen, the operation is considered a failure.

After leaving the hospital, the specialist doctor gives some medications and painkillers that help relieve the pain resulting from the surgical operation. The patient is also informed of the procedures to be followed to care for the grafted area and the donor area to avoid infection. The patient is also advised to avoid smoking, take a rest period, and refrain from engaging in normal daily activities.

The healing of the donor area takes between one and two weeks, while the grafted skin area requires more time to heal, taking between three and four weeks after leaving the hospital.

The doctor should be consulted regularly to examine the skin, to avoid inflammation, infection, or bleeding, because the grafted skin looks different in appearance and color from the adjacent skin, and is also more fragile, making it more susceptible to infections.