Reconstruction Options

• Healing by granulation, which involves letting the wound heal by itself. Experience has taught us that there are certain areas of the body where nature will heal a wound as nicely as any further surgical procedures. There are also times when a wound will be left to heal knowing that if the resultant scar is unacceptable, some form of reconstructive surgery can be performed at a later date.
• Closing the wound with stitches often is performed on small- to medium-size wounds. This involves some adjustment of the wound, and sewing the skin edges together with a combination of deep and superficial sutures. This procedure speeds healing and can offer a good cosmetic result.
• Skin grafts involve covering a surgery site with skin from another area of the body. There are two types of skin grafts. The first is called a split-thickness graft. This is a thin shave of skin, usually taken from the thigh, which is used to cover a surgical wound. This can be either a permanent coverage or temporary coverage before another cosmetic procedure is done at a later date. The second graft type is the full-thickness graft. This graft requires a thicker layer of skin to achieve proper results. In this instance, skin is usually removed from around the area or distant site (the donor site) and stitched to cover a wound. The donor site then is sutured together to provide a good cosmetic result.

Skin flaps involve movement of adjacent, healthy tissue to cover a surgical site. Where practical, they are chosen because of the excellent cosmetic match of nearby skin.