Split-thickness skin graft

A skin graft of the epidermis and part of the dermis, shaved with a dermatome from a donor site (usually the thigh) that heals on its own under a dressing. It takes more reliably and covers larger wounds than a full-thickness graft, but contracts more and looks paler and shinier than the surrounding skin.

Related terms

• Procedure

  Skin graft

  A thin layer of skin removed from one part of the body and placed on a wound elsewhere; survives initially by absorbing nutrients before new blood vessels grow in from the wound bed.

• Procedure

  Full-thickness skin graft

  A skin graft that includes the whole epidermis and dermis, taken from a donor site that is then closed directly — in front of or behind the ear, above the collarbone, the inner upper arm or the groin. It contracts little and matches facial skin well, but needs a well-vascularised bed and a still, padded dressing to take.

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