How does the consultation work?
- Examination by the doctor — determining the size and depth of the tissue defect.
- Discussion of possible restoration methods — choosing the methods to close the defect (skin grafting, tissue expansion, use of artificial materials).
- Surgical planning — preparation for the procedure, considering the overall health of the patient.
- Ordering tests — necessary examinations to assess the condition of the body before surgery.
When a skin graft is required
Closure of soft tissue defects is needed when a wound is too large to heal on its own or be sutured: after burns, extensive trauma, tumour removal, and for chronic non-healing and trophic ulcers.
Skin grafting on the face demands a particular approach — colour and texture must match, so the donor site is chosen from areas with similar skin, such as behind the ear or the supraclavicular region. A graft on the hand must additionally preserve mobility: over joints the scar must not tether the tissues.
Methods of closure
A free skin graft (split- or full-thickness) is taken from the patient's own donor site. A pedicled flap is moved from a neighbouring area together with its vessels — it takes better and suits deep defects. For large areas, tissue expansion grows the patient's own skin beside the defect.
Artificial skin substitutes — temporary synthetic and biological dressings — are used as a preparatory stage: they protect the wound and stimulate granulation until definitive reconstruction becomes possible. The price depends on the area and the method chosen; see below.
Prices
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How is the consultation going?
Where a split-thickness graft is taken, the donor area heals on its own over 2–3 weeks like a graze, leaving an area of altered pigmentation. With a full-thickness graft the donor wound is sutured, leaving a linear scar.
Donor sites are chosen in places covered by clothing — usually the thigh, buttock or inner upper arm.
In most cases yes, but survival depends on the blood supply of the area, the absence of infection and the graft being kept still in the first days. The site is therefore secured with a dressing, and on a limb sometimes with a splint.
Risk factors include smoking, diabetes, vascular disease and previous radiotherapy. If part of the graft is lost, a repeat procedure may be needed; the surgeon explains this in advance.
