Editing Skin grafts (section)

== FTSG ==

* Entire epidermis and dermis
* Resists contraction
* Needs well-vascularised recipient bed
* Selecting donor site:
** Be able to close primarily
** Match colour 
** Common sites - glabellar area of forehead, upper lateral forehead, temple, pre-auricular skin, nasolabial folds, or upper eyelids in an older patient
* Technique
** Excise as ellipse down to fat
** Put in saline when not working on it
** Trim all the fat off, down to dermis
** 8x 4/0 Vicryl Rapide sutures, then jelonet, then foam, then tie over
*** Alternative - polar interrupted Vicryl Rapide, then continuous around the outside
*** Can do quilting sutures centrally instead of a tie-over dressing, and just put some TDS soft white paraffin on it instead of a dressing
** Dressing off after one week, leave sutures in until they are absorbed