Skin Graft Care

Please wash your hands thoroughly before caring for the wound.
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PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING:

Leave the two pressure-dressings over both graft and donor sites for 48 hours. Do not get them wet. After 48 hours, you may carefully remove these pressure-dressings.

Graft site: Under the pressure-dressing, you will see a non-adherent dressing and the fragile graft. After removing the dressing, wash the graft gently with hydrogen peroxide. Reapply Vaseline and cover the graft with a new Band-Aid or other non-adherent dressing. Never allow the graft to dry out. Avoid submerging the graft in water (showering, washing, pool).

For the next week, it is normal for the graft to change color (deep purple) and also to swell. However, if it starts to emit a foul odor, discharge pus, or become crusted, hard, and black, then please contact the office as soon as possible.

Donor site: After removing the pressure-dressing, you will treat the DONOR site according to the type of repair. Typically, the donor site is left to heal on its own.

Please follow the instructions below:

  • Wound healing on its own: After 48 hours, wash the area daily using a clean cotton ball and hydrogen peroxide. Then apply Vaseline and re-dress with a new non-adherent bandage daily until the wound completely heals. You will have brand-new pink skin covering the wound. Never allow the wound to dry out or form a scab during this time.

  • Dissolvable sutures: You will receive separate instructions for this type of repair.

  • Non-dissolvable sutures: You will receive separate instructions for this type of repair.


NOTE: Unless prescribed by your doctor, do not take any blood thinners including Aspirin (or aspirin-containing medications), Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, or Naproxen. If you need pain relief, take Extra Strength Tylenol. Postoperative pain should improve considerably after 2 to 3 days.

If you have any concerns please give Dr. Al-Dabagh a call at (704) 230-1302. After clinic hours, our line will have an option for urgent concerns, which will route directly to Dr. Al-Dabagh’s cell phone.

​We will return your calls as soon as possible. If you are experiencing a life-threatening event, please call 911 or seek help at the nearest emergency department.