SKIN GRAFTS

Effective Treatment For Chronic Wounds

At the HROSM Wound Care Center, we use three types of skin grafts to treat wounds—TheraSkin, Osiris and Kerecis. Used to treat larger wounds that are harder to heal, skin graft therapy helps encourage new skin growth in damaged skin. Skin grafts transplant healthy skin from another part of the body or an outside source to a chronic wound. As the wound begins to heal over time and new healthy skin grows, the graft is either absorbed or removed.

CANDIDATES FOR SKIN GRAFT THERAPY

If you have a large, chronic wound or if you have received previous wound care treatment that was unsuccessful, your provider may recommend skin graft therapy. You may be a candidate for the therapy if you suffer from the following:

You may be a candidate for skin graft therapy if you suffer from the following:

Large wounds
Wounds that have not responded to previous treatments
Wounds that expose the bone
Wounds in which significant skin is missing
Diabetic ulcers
Surgical wounds
Cancer wounds
Burns

WHAT TO EXPECT

Before beginning skin graft therapy, your provider will first need to examine and measure your wound. All infections must be treated before receiving therapy. Our evaluation will determine if you are a good candidate for skin graft therapy. From there, your provider will help you decide which kind of therapy is best for you based on your specific needs. Your therapy depends on a variety of factors including the size and location of the wound. Before your skin graft is placed, your provider will prepare the wound by removing any dead skin.

THERASKIN THERAPY

TheraSkin is made of real human skin that acts just like your own. All TheraSkin has been ethically donated and meets the standards set by the American Association of Tissue Banks. Used to treat chronic wounds, we recommend TheraSkin therapy for patients with diabetic foot ulcers and leg ulcers.

Your provider will place TheraSkin over the wound and secure it. Most patients require a series of TheraSkin treatments in order for their wounds to help completely. Patients treated with TheraSkin therapy will grow new, healthy skin that is entirely their own. At the end of the treatment, TheraSkin will either be absorbed by your new skin or need to be removed by your provider.

KERECIS SKIN GRAFT THERAPY

In perhaps a slightly less traditional method than other treatments, Kerecis uses fully intact fish skin from Icelandic cod as grafts to treat chronic wounds. Fish-skin graft therapy can be used to treat chronic wounds all over the body, including larger wounds.

Sustainably sourced fish skin grafts are completely natural and may offer certain advantages over other skin substitutes, such as the rich quantity of lipids, proteins and fatty acids that are beneficial to healing and growth and even offer anti-inflammatory properties. Like other options, Kerecis absorbs into the new skin as healing occurs.

TRUSKIN BY OSIRIS SKIN GRAFT THERAPY

Osiris’ TruSkin is a skin graft therapy option that helps treat even the biggest wounds. Made of cryopreserved, living skin, TruSkin is a high-quality alternative to donor skin. Like native skin, TruSkin contains growth factors that help large, chronic wounds heal. Some wounds that TruSkin treats include ulcers, surgical wounds and even wounds that extend all the way to the bone.