After installing the metal implants we waited for the swelling to go down enough to close my lateral incision (beneath the wound vacuum). Alas, after several days of waiting for the swelling to go down the doctors decided that they would have to cover this hole with a skin graft. Taking three thin slices from the surface of my upper thigh, the surgeons used a special machine to construct a roughly 7” X 4.5” almond-shaped skin graft. In the process, they embedded the graft with small holes, like a fishnet, with the idea that skin will grow from the netting to fill in the holes. This structure also makes the graft very stretchy/flexible, enabling it to be stretched across the gap. Since the graft is made from the surface of the skin it creates just a rather sun-burned looking scar at the “harvest site.” For the first month or so after receiving the graft we had to change the dressing once or twice daily. After it had completely scabbed over we changed the dressing less frequently. As it slowly healed the graft shrunk to match the reduced swelling in my leg. At present the graft is completely healed, and only about 7” X 1”, although one bit of necrotic flesh at its edge remains a scab. Necrotic flesh consists of portions of my original skin around the graft that died and turned black during the time between the initial surgery and the time that the skin graft was attached. It is very weird to have dead skin just sitting there on your body, but eventually new skin grows in behind it and takes its place. Now that the skin graft is healed it looks like burn scars I have seen on other people. Over time the colors may gradually turn from reddish-pink to just plain pink, masking the scar to some extent. Although the skin graft was inconvenient in that it required dressing, and kept me from resting my leg on its side, it usually did not hurt. The main problem with the graft is that until it heals completely I cannot go into the pool to do water rehab. Water rehab is nice because you can wear a float around your waist and “walk” without putting much weight on the leg. You can also jog and do other exercises that build muscles due to the resistance of the water. Overall skin grafts are weird things that make me feel like a lizard whose tale magically grows back. The body really is an amazing thing!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Skin Graft
After installing the metal implants we waited for the swelling to go down enough to close my lateral incision (beneath the wound vacuum). Alas, after several days of waiting for the swelling to go down the doctors decided that they would have to cover this hole with a skin graft. Taking three thin slices from the surface of my upper thigh, the surgeons used a special machine to construct a roughly 7” X 4.5” almond-shaped skin graft. In the process, they embedded the graft with small holes, like a fishnet, with the idea that skin will grow from the netting to fill in the holes. This structure also makes the graft very stretchy/flexible, enabling it to be stretched across the gap. Since the graft is made from the surface of the skin it creates just a rather sun-burned looking scar at the “harvest site.” For the first month or so after receiving the graft we had to change the dressing once or twice daily. After it had completely scabbed over we changed the dressing less frequently. As it slowly healed the graft shrunk to match the reduced swelling in my leg. At present the graft is completely healed, and only about 7” X 1”, although one bit of necrotic flesh at its edge remains a scab. Necrotic flesh consists of portions of my original skin around the graft that died and turned black during the time between the initial surgery and the time that the skin graft was attached. It is very weird to have dead skin just sitting there on your body, but eventually new skin grows in behind it and takes its place. Now that the skin graft is healed it looks like burn scars I have seen on other people. Over time the colors may gradually turn from reddish-pink to just plain pink, masking the scar to some extent. Although the skin graft was inconvenient in that it required dressing, and kept me from resting my leg on its side, it usually did not hurt. The main problem with the graft is that until it heals completely I cannot go into the pool to do water rehab. Water rehab is nice because you can wear a float around your waist and “walk” without putting much weight on the leg. You can also jog and do other exercises that build muscles due to the resistance of the water. Overall skin grafts are weird things that make me feel like a lizard whose tale magically grows back. The body really is an amazing thing!
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