{"id":7166,"date":"2026-08-19T12:01:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T12:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/?p=7166"},"modified":"2026-08-25T06:45:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T06:45:55","slug":"development-of-skin-grafting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/development-of-skin-grafting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Development of Skin Grafting: Milestones in Reconstructive Dermatology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you lose a large area of skin through a burn, injury or skin cancer surgery, closing the wound may not always be possible. A skin graft allows doctors to move healthy skin from another part of your body to help cover the damaged area and support healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skin grafting did not develop through one single discovery. Over time, surgeons moved from tiny pinch grafts to more precise split- and full-thickness grafts, dermatomes, mesh and Meek techniques, as well as selected cell-based approaches. Following this journey can help you understand why your surgical team may recommend one method rather than another after a burn, injury or skin cancer surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Skin Graft and Why Might You Need One?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A skin graft is a piece of skin moved from one part of your body to a wound that needs covering. In most cases, the graft uses your own skin, known as an autograft, although donor skin from another person may sometimes be used temporarily, particularly after extensive burns. The area where the skin is taken from is called the donor site, while the wound where it is placed is the recipient site. Unlike a flap, a graft does not keep its original blood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may receive either a split-thickness or full-thickness graft, depending on your wound. Split-thickness grafts can cover larger areas and are often useful for burns, while full-thickness grafts are commonly used for smaller defects where a closer match in thickness, texture and appearance is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Did Ancient Reconstruction Shape Modern Skin Grafting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you look back at the earliest forms of reconstructive surgery, ancient India played an important role. The Sushruta Samhita<\/em> describes ways of rebuilding areas such as the nose using transferred skin. These early techniques mainly involved flaps, where the skin remained attached to its original blood supply, unlike the free skin grafts you may receive today, which are completely detached before being moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a free graft, you need the transplanted skin to develop a new blood supply after it is moved. Surgeons gradually learnt how graft thickness, wound preparation and secure contact affected survival, helping turn early reconstructive ideas into reliable skin-grafting techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Did Early Experiments Reveal About Free Skin Grafts?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Long before modern skin grafting became reliable, surgeons were already experimenting with completely detached pieces of skin. These early attempts showed that transplanted skin could sometimes survive, helping pave the way for the grafting techniques available to you today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real challenge was making the technique reliable enough for patients. If you had needed a graft at the time, surgeons would not have had modern anaesthesia, infection control, wound care or precise harvesting instruments. Progress in these areas gradually made skin grafting safer and more predictable for patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Was Reverdin\u2019s Pinch-Graft Technique a Turning Point?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jacques-Louis Reverdin became a key figure in modern skin grafting after describing his technique in 1869. His technique involved placing tiny pieces of a patient\u2019s own skin across a chronic wound, creating small areas from which new skin could grow and support healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technique became known as pinch grafting or epidermic grafting, although the grafts could contain some dermis as well. These tiny grafts could not provide a smooth, continuous covering for every large wound, but they showed that completely detached skin could survive. This discovery helped establish the principles that still underpin the skin-grafting techniques available to you today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Did Ollier and Thiersch Advance Split-Thickness Grafting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the early 1870s, skin grafting was beginning to move beyond tiny pieces of skin. French surgeon L\u00e9opold Ollier used larger sheets containing the epidermis and part of the dermis, making it possible to cover larger wounds more efficiently. This was an important step towards the split-thickness grafts you may receive today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carl Thiersch later refined the technique in 1886 by developing very thin skin grafts, now known as Thiersch or razor grafts. When you receive a split-thickness graft, part of your dermis remains at the donor site, allowing the area to heal and making it possible to cover larger wounds more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Did Full-Thickness Grafts Improve Skin Repair?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Split-thickness grafts were useful for covering large wounds, but surgeons also discovered the benefits of preserving the entire dermis. If you have a smaller wound where appearance, thickness and reduced contraction matter, a full-thickness graft can provide a closer match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Lawson reported successful full-thickness grafting around 1870, while John Reissberg Wolfe published his technique in 1875. Fedor Krause later helped establish wider use of full-thickness grafts during the 1890s. Today, you may receive a full-thickness graft for selected areas such as the face, where matching the thickness, texture and appearance of the surrounding skin can be particularly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does a Skin Graft Survive Without Its Original Blood Supply?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you receive a skin graft, it initially has no blood supply of its own, so it needs to stay closely attached to a healthy wound underneath it. At first, the graft survives by absorbing fluid and nutrients from the wound underneath it, a stage known as plasmatic imbibition. Over the next few days, tiny blood vessels in the graft begin to connect with those in the wound, gradually establishing a new blood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why you need the graft to stay firmly in place, as movement, fluid, infection or poor blood supply can affect its survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Did Skin Grafting Change Burn Treatment?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deep burns, particularly full-thickness burns, can destroy enough skin that the wound may not be able to heal adequately on its own. Skin grafting can help close the wound, reduce ongoing fluid loss and lower the risk of infection while supporting healing and rehabilitation. Scarring can still occur and may remain an important part of recovery after a deep burn, but major burns can create a challenge because you may need far more skin than can be safely harvested at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because a split-thickness donor site can heal, your surgical team may sometimes be able to harvest skin from the same area again after it has recovered. This can be important if you have extensive burns and your wound coverage needs to be planned across several procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Does the Thickness of Your Skin Graft Matter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Early split-thickness grafts were cut manually with knives or razors, making it difficult to produce an even thickness. The thickness of your graft matters because a thinner graft generally establishes a new blood supply more readily, while a thicker graft may provide greater durability and less contraction but needs a wound with a good blood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This balance led surgeons to seek greater control during skin harvesting. Your surgeon can now use a dermatome to choose a more consistent graft thickness based on your wound, its blood supply, how the donor site is expected to heal and how the repaired area needs to look and function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does a Dermatome Help Your Surgeon Prepare Your Graft?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A dermatome allows your surgeon to harvest a sheet of skin at a controlled thickness, making graft preparation more consistent. Developed by Earl Padgett and George Hood in the late 1930s, it allowed surgeons to harvest wider and more even grafts than traditional freehand methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern dermatomes give your surgeon greater control over the thickness of your graft and help make efficient use of your available donor skin. If you need a large wound covered, this also helps preserve enough dermis at your donor site to support healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can Meek Micrografting Help When Your Donor Skin Is Limited?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Extensive burns can leave you with a wound that is far larger than the amount of healthy donor skin available. In 1958, Cicero Parker Meek developed a technique that allowed surgeons to divide harvested skin into small, regularly sized grafts and distribute them across a much larger wound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technique gave surgeons a way to use limited donor skin more efficiently, particularly for very extensive burns. Although mesh grafting later became more common, modified Meek techniques remain useful when you have very little healthy donor skin and a large area that needs coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can Mesh Grafting Cover a Larger Area of Your Wound?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mesh grafting allows your surgeon to expand a sheet of donor skin so that it can cover a larger area of your wound. The openings also allow blood and fluid to drain from beneath the graft, helping it remain in close contact with the wound bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have an extensive burn, this technique can make a limited amount of your healthy donor skin cover a much larger surface and conform to uneven areas. However, you may still see the characteristic mesh pattern after healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Was 1964 a Turning Point for Mesh Grafting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A major step forward came in 1964, when Tanner, Vandeput and Olley described a more standardised way to expand split-thickness skin grafts. This made it easier for surgeons to use a limited amount of your healthy skin to cover a much larger wound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Early Reconstruction to Modern Skin Grafting: A Timeline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Period<\/strong><\/td>Development<\/strong><\/td>Why It Mattered<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
Ancient India<\/td>Early reconstructive tissue-transfer procedures described<\/td>Established important principles of reconstructive surgery<\/td><\/tr>
1817<\/td>Astley Cooper reported grafting skin from an amputated thumb<\/td>An early documented detached-skin transplantation attempt<\/td><\/tr>
1869<\/td>Reverdin introduced pinch grafting<\/td>Helped establish reliable free skin grafting<\/td><\/tr>
1870s\u20131880s<\/td>Ollier and Thiersch developed larger, thinner graft techniques<\/td>Advanced split-thickness grafting<\/td><\/tr>
1870\u20131890s<\/td>Lawson, Wolfe and Krause advanced full-thickness grafting<\/td>Expanded reconstruction where thicker grafts were useful<\/td><\/tr>
Late 1930s<\/td>Padgett\u2013Hood dermatome developed<\/td>Made graft thickness more reproducible<\/td><\/tr>
1958<\/td>Meek introduced micrografting<\/td>Allowed very limited donor skin to cover extensive burns<\/td><\/tr>
1964<\/td>Tanner, Vandeput and Olley introduced modern mesh grafting<\/td>Made expansion of split-thickness grafts more practical<\/td><\/tr>
1975<\/td>Rheinwald and Green cultured human epidermal keratinocytes<\/td>Helped establish foundations for cell-based skin replacement<\/td><\/tr>
1981<\/strong><\/td>  Burke, Yannas and colleagues reported clinical use of a bilayer artificial skin in extensive burns<\/td>Helped establish dermal substitutes as another approach when conventional donor skin was limited<\/td><\/tr>
Modern practice<\/td>Grafts, dermal substitutes and cultured-cell approaches coexist<\/td>Allows reconstruction to be tailored to wound size, depth and donor availability<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Might You Need a Skin Graft After Skin Cancer Surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A skin graft can help cover a wound left after skin cancer removal when direct closure is not possible or appropriate. You may need a full-thickness graft for some facial wounds, while a split-thickness graft may be more suitable when a larger area needs to be covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Mohs surgery, you may have several ways to close and repair the wound, including a skin graft, a flap or direct closure. Your surgeon will consider the size and location of the wound, how the area needs to function and how closely the repaired skin should match the surrounding colour and contour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can Skin Grafting Help You After Trauma or with a Difficult Wound?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traumatic injuries can leave you with wounds that cannot be closed normally, particularly after accidents, bites or damaged tissue has been removed. You may also benefit from a graft if you have a wound that has been difficult to heal, provided it has a healthy blood supply and is ready to support new skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before grafting, your surgeon needs to address problems such as poor circulation, pressure or infection, as these can cause the graft to fail. You also need to protect the graft while it heals, so it can remain firmly attached and develop a reliable blood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can You Help Protect Your Skin Graft After Surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are having a skin graft, ask your surgical team how you should protect both the graft and the donor site during the first days after surgery. Movement, blood or fluid beneath the graft, infection and poor blood supply can interfere with how well the graft attaches and heals, so follow the dressing and activity instructions given specifically for your operation. Smoking can also reduce blood flow and increase the risk of graft-healing problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Aftercare Advice Might You Receive in the UK?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After a skin graft, the exact dressing and activity advice depends on the graft site, wound and type of surgery. You will usually be advised to keep the graft protected, avoid unnecessary movement or pressure and leave specialist dressings in place until your surgical team reviews them. If you develop increasing pain, spreading redness, swelling, discharge, fever, persistent bleeding or concerns about the dressing or graft, contact the team caring for you. Follow the instructions from your own surgical unit, as aftercare can differ between graft sites and procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Might Donated Skin or a Skin Substitute Be Used?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When severe burns leave you with too little healthy skin for immediate grafting, donated skin, known as an allograft, can provide temporary wound coverage. Your surgical team may use it while your condition stabilises or while the areas where your own skin was taken recover before further grafting with your own skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your treatment may also involve a skin substitute, such as a dermal template that acts as a framework for new tissue to grow. Once that tissue has developed a good blood supply, your surgical team may place a thin graft of your own skin over it to provide longer-term coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can Lab-Grown Skin Cells Help When Donor Skin Is Limited?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another important advance came in 1975, when James Rheinwald and Howard Green developed a reliable way to grow skin cells called keratinocytes in the laboratory. If your healthy donor skin is very limited, this type of research helps explain how a small skin sample can potentially provide cells for a much larger area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the 1980s, laboratory-grown sheets made from a patient\u2019s own skin cells were beginning to be used in burn treatment. Because these treatments take time to prepare and the resulting grafts can be delicate, they are not suitable for every wound. If you have an extensive wound, your specialist may discuss options such as conventional grafts, mesh grafts, Meek micrografts, skin substitutes or selected lab-grown cell treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth vs Fact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Myth<\/strong><\/td>Fact<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
A skin graft and a skin flap are the same thing.<\/td>No. A graft is completely detached from its original blood supply, while a flap retains or carries its own blood supply.<\/td><\/tr>
A thicker graft is always better.<\/td>No. Graft thickness affects survival, contraction, donor-site healing and appearance, so the appropriate graft depends on the wound.<\/td><\/tr>
A graft has its own blood supply as soon as it is placed.<\/td>No. At first, the graft depends on the wound underneath it and then needs to develop new blood vessel connections.<\/td><\/tr>
Once a graft is stitched in place, movement does not matter.<\/td>Movement or rubbing can interfere with how well the graft attaches and heals, which is why protection and secure dressings are important.<\/td><\/tr>
A split-thickness donor site leaves no wound.<\/td>No. The donor site is itself a superficial wound that needs dressing and time to heal.<\/td><\/tr>
Donor skin from another person permanently replaces the patient’s skin after a major burn.<\/td>Donor skin is usually used as temporary coverage until your own skin can be used for more permanent reconstruction.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. What is a skin graft and why might you need one?
<\/strong>A skin graft is a piece of healthy skin moved from one area of your body to cover a wound elsewhere. You may need a skin graft after a severe burn, injury, skin cancer surgery or when a wound cannot be closed normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. What is the difference between a split-thickness and full-thickness skin graft?
<\/strong>A split-thickness graft contains the epidermis and part of the dermis, making it suitable for covering larger wounds. A full-thickness graft contains the entire dermis and may be preferred for smaller wounds where you need a closer match in thickness, texture and appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. How does your skin graft survive without its original blood supply?
<\/strong>Your graft initially receives nutrients and fluid from the wound underneath it. New blood vessels then begin connecting with vessels in the graft, gradually restoring its blood supply and helping it survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Where does the skin for your graft come from?
<\/strong>Your surgeon usually takes skin from another area of your own body, known as the donor site. The location depends on the size and position of your wound and the type and amount of skin you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Why are skin grafts important for severe burns?
<\/strong>If you have a severe burn, some areas of damaged skin may not be able to heal normally on their own. A skin graft can help close and protect the wound, reduce fluid loss and support your healing and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. What is a dermatome used for during skin grafting?
<\/strong>A dermatome is a specialised surgical instrument used to harvest a sheet of skin at a controlled thickness. This allows your surgeon to create more consistent grafts and use available donor skin efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. What is mesh grafting and how can it help you?
<\/strong>Mesh grafting allows a sheet of harvested skin to be expanded so that it can cover a much larger wound. It can be particularly useful when you have extensive burns or limited donor skin, although the healed graft may have a visible mesh pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Can you have a skin graft after skin cancer surgery?
<\/strong>Yes. A skin graft may be used when removing skin cancer leaves a wound that cannot be closed easily. Your surgeon will consider the wound\u2019s size and location, how the area needs to function and how closely the repair should match the surrounding skin when choosing between a graft, flap or direct closure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. What can cause your skin graft to fail?
<\/strong>Your graft needs to stay in close contact with a healthy wound so it can develop a new blood supply. Infection, movement, poor circulation, or blood or fluid collecting underneath the graft can make it harder for the graft to attach and heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. What happens if you do not have enough healthy skin for a graft?
<\/strong>If you have extensive burns or another major wound and limited donor skin, your treatment team may consider options such as mesh grafting, Meek micrografting, donated skin, dermal substitutes or cultured skin cells. These techniques can help provide wound coverage when conventional grafting alone is not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts: What the Development of Skin Grafting Means for You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Skin grafting has evolved from early reconstructive techniques into an important option for treating burns, trauma, wounds following skin cancer surgery and other complex skin defects. If you need reconstruction, advances such as dermatomes, mesh grafting and Meek micrografting allow your surgical team to use available donor skin more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, your surgeon can choose from several grafting techniques, skin substitutes and, in some cases, laboratory-grown skin-cell approaches. The best option for you will depend on the size and depth of the wound, its blood supply, how much healthy donor skin is available and how the repaired area needs to look and function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Kohlhauser, M., Luze, H., Nischwitz, S.P. and Kamolz, L.P. (2021) \u2018Historical evolution of skin grafting\u2014A journey through time\u2019, Medicina<\/em>, 57(4), article 348. Available at: https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1648-9144\/57\/4\/348<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Ozhathil, D.K., Tay, M.W., Wolf, S.E. and Branski, L.K. (2021) \u2018A narrative review of the history of skin grafting in burn care\u2019, Medicina<\/em>, 57(4), article 380. Available at: https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1648-9144\/57\/4\/380<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Ameer, F., Singh, A.K. and Kumar, S. (2013) \u2018Evolution of instruments for harvest of the skin grafts\u2019, Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery<\/em>, 46(1), pp. 28\u201335. Available at: https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3745118\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Tanner, J.C. Jr, Vandeput, J. and Olley, J.F. (1964) \u2018The mesh skin graft\u2019, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery<\/em>, 34, pp. 287\u2013292. Available at: https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/14209177\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Rheinwald, J.G. and Green, H. (1975) \u2018Serial cultivation of strains of human epidermal keratinocytes: The formation of keratinizing colonies from single cells\u2019, Cell<\/em>, 6(3), pp. 331\u2013343. Available at: https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/1052771\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you lose a large area of skin through a burn, injury or skin cancer surgery, closing the wound may not always be possible. A skin graft allows doctors to move healthy skin from another part of your body to help cover the damaged area and support healing. Skin grafting did not develop through one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-300x164.jpg",300,164,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-1024x559.jpg",1024,559,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"et-pb-post-main-image":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-400x250.jpg",400,250,true],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-1080x600.jpg",1080,600,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-400x284.jpg",400,284,true],"et-pb-portfolio-module-image":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-510x382.jpg",510,382,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image-single":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-1080x589.jpg",1080,589,true],"et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-400x516.jpg",400,516,true],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1.jpg",1100,600,false],"et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-980x535.jpg",980,535,true],"et-pb-image--responsive--phone":["https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Imagess-17-1-480x262.jpg",480,262,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Shailendra Kumar","author_link":"https:\/\/www.london-dermatology-centre.co.uk\/blog\/author\/shailendra\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Uncategorized<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"If you lose a large area of skin through a burn, injury or skin cancer surgery, closing the wound may not always be possible. 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