Skin Grafting

Skin grafting is a reconstructive technique which is used to fill in a defect either created in surgery or by a traumatic injury or burn.

A piece of skin is harvested from one part of the body and used to fill a wound defect in another part of the body. In the head and neck, skin grafts are primarily used to reconstruct defects caused by cancer.

The skin can be borrowed from several different areas including the thigh, the neck, or behind the ear. This choice depends on the location and size of the wound defect, the thickness of skin required, and the best skin color match.

Skin grafting may be the only reconstruction required, or it may be done in conjunction with other techniques such as local skin flaps or major soft tissue flaps.