People who have unfortunately suffered mild to severe burns injuries in the past can benefit from reconstructive surgery to somewhat restore their normal appearance. Reconstructive Surgery for Burns is mostly required when initial burns have healed. If the wounds are severe, the patients may have to undergo debridement which refers to removal of dead tissue prior to reconstructive surgery. However this procedure is known to give good results to a patient.
What are the elements of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery for burns?
Reconstructive plastic surgery for burns consists of the following:
Skin Grafting:
Skin is removed from the donor area and transplanted to the affected area. Split thickness skin grafts and full thickness skin grafts are used for the procedure depending upon the requirement. A dermatome is also used. Recovery time for split thickness skin graft is relatively quick as compared to the recovery time for full thickness skin graft.
Free Flap Procedure:
In this procedure skin, muscle, bone or a combination of all these tissues are transferred along with original blood supply from the donor site for the reconstruction purposes. The procedure consists of microsurgery in which the plastic surgeon sews the tiny blood vessels. The results are quite gratifying.
Tissue Expansion:
This procedure enables your body to grow extra skin in order to cope with reconstruction needs. A balloon expander is used for the same. When enough skin growth has been achieved, it is then used to reconstruct the damaged part.
