Skin grafts and flaps

When your skin is injured and does not heal normally, your doctor may decide that a skin graft or flap is needed to get wound closure. Skin grafts or flaps treat skin ulcerations, burns, and other chronic skin wounds. A skin graft is a procedure performed where healthy skin is removed from one area of the body, the donor site, and transplanted to another, the recipient site. The areas of the body that are most commonly used as donor sites for skin grafts are the leg, inner thigh, upper arm, forearm and buttocks.

Skin grafts

There are two main types of skin grafts and they are:

• Split or partial thickness graft: This is the most common type of graft. The epidermis (the top layer of the skin) and part of the dermis (the middle layer of the skin) are removed from the donor site and transplanted on the damaged area. It is possible that the graft can be spread over a mesh to increase the surface area covered. This type of graft heals relatively quickly but is quite fragile and not suitable for deep or infected wounds and the cosmetic result is often not good. Skin on the donor site can grow back from sweat glands and hair follicles.
• Full thickness graft: The entire epidermis and dermis are transplanted to the recipient site. Although the cosmetic effects can be good, full thickness grafts are only suitable for small areas. The donor site needs to either be closed with stitches, or have a partial thickness graft transplanted.

Skin Flap

A skin flap is similar to a graft in that a transplantation of tissue occurs. The essential difference between the two is that a flap exists on it’s own blood supply. This means that much larger amounts of tissue can be transported, including muscle if required. There are many different types of surgical techniques used to create flaps.

Wound care along with your physician can help is possible complications occur after your skin graft or flap.

Possible complications could be:

• Graft failure
• Infection of the donor and/or graft site
• Oozing fluid and blood from the donor site as it heals
• Scarring
• Blood clots
• Ulcers reoccurring, or new ulcers on the same limb

Wound Care along with your physician help care for the skin graft or flap. Hyperbaric medicine could be recommended in conjunction with wound care if your skin graft or flap is compromised.

Wound Care Center
Regional Rehabilitation Institute
2908 Fifth Street (3rd Floor)
Rapid City, SD 57701
(605) 719-1309

Services are available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.