An operation in which large breaches of skin surface due to wounding, burns or ulceration are closed by transplantation of skin from other parts. There are three methods by which this is done. Most frequently the epidermis only is transplanted, using a method introduced by Reverdin and by Thiersch, and known by their names. For this purpose, a broad strip of epidermis is shaved off the thigh or upper arm, after the part has been carefully sterilized, and is transferred bodily to the raw or ulcerated surface, or is cut into smaller strips and laid upon it. A second method is for small pieces of the skin in its whole thickness to be removed from the arm and thigh, or even from other people, and then implanted and bound upon the raw surface. (This method has the disadvantage that the true skin must contract at the spot from which the graft is taken, leaving an unsightly scar.) When very large areas require to be covered, a third method is commonly used. A large flap of skin, amply sufficient to cover the gap, is raised from a neighbouring or distant part of the body, in such a way that it remains attached along one margin, so that blood vessels can still enter and nourish it. It is then turned so as to cover the gap; or, if it be situated on a distant part, the two parts are brought together and fixed in this position until the flap grows firmly to its new bed. The old connection of the flap is then severed, leaving it growing in its new place.
A method employed to restore the integrity of the skin in a specific area of the patient’s body that has suffered skin loss involves the transplantation of a healthy piece of skin from either the patient’s own body or a donor. This technique aims to provide a protective covering to the affected area, promoting healing and regeneration.
The process of applying sections of skin, be it the outer layers or the entire thickness, to an exposed area to aid healing or fill a gap.