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Skin grafting | |
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![]() Skin graft performed on the ankle due to third degree burns. | |
ICD-9-CM | 86.6 |
MedlinePlus | 002982 |
Skin grafting, a type of graft surgery, involves the transplantation of skin. The transplanted tissue is called a skin graft.[1]
Surgeons may use skin grafting to treat:
Skin grafting often takes place after serious injuries when some of the body's skin is damaged. Surgical removal (excision or debridement) of the damaged skin is followed by skin grafting. The grafting serves two purposes: reducing the course of treatment needed (and time in the hospital), and improving the function and appearance of the area of the body which receives the skin graft.
There are two types of skin grafts:
A full-thickness skin graft is more risky, in terms of the body accepting the skin, yet it leaves only a scar line on the donor section, similar to a Cesarean-section scar. In the case of full-thickness skin grafts, the donor section will often heal much more quickly than the injury and causes less pain than a partial-thickness skin graft.