An Alternative Treatment for the Split Skin-Graft Donor Site

Abstract.

There are a variety of methods employed in the postoperative management of the partial thickness donor site created during harvest of a split thickness skin graft. Each technique may be associated with potential complications of fluid loss, excessive pain, prolonged period for healing and delayed mobility, hypertrophic scarring, undesirable pigment aesthetics, and thin skin poorly resistant to everyday trauma. Thompson, and Converse and Robb-Smith have previously shown improved donor site outcome with the application of thin split skin grafts. Based on these studies, we present a technique that involves 1.5:1 meshing of a split skin graft and dividing it into equal halves so that one half is used to cover the defect and the other half is immediately returned to the donor site. Patients who are elderly, debilitated, or who have thin, poor-quality skin can expect less discomfort, reduction of fluid loss, improved durability and elasticity, and lower incidence of hypertrophic scarring with the proposed donor site regrafting.