Skin Grafting for Venous Skin Ulcer
Skin grafting can be an effective treatment for a large,
difficult-to-heal
venous skin ulcer. A skin graft stimulates healing by
triggering skin cell growth in the wound site. Various types of tissue are
used for skin grafting, including:
- A dressing derived from one's own skin cells,
called an autograft, placed on the wound. Other types of
autograft (called split- or partial-thickness skin grafts) graft skin from one
part of the body to another.
- A
bioengineered human skin equivalent, or allograft.
- Preserved animal skin, often from a pig,
called a xerograft.
If you have a long-standing venous skin ulcer, discuss skin
grafting with your doctor. Depending on your condition, you may be
a candidate for this type of treatment. But there are no guarantees that
skin grafting will work for you.
Other Works Consulted
- Habif TP (2010). Stasis dermatitis and venous ulceration: Postphlebitic syndromes section of Eczema and hand dermatitis. In Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy, 5th ed., pp. 122–129. Edinburgh: Mosby Elsevier.
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By
| Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
| E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
| Margaret Doucette, DO - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Medicine |
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Last Revised
| August 31, 2011 |
Last Revised:
August 31, 2011
