Skin grafts after BCC removal

The surgeon transfers a thin piece of skin from a donor site to the cancer-removal wound. The graft needs close contact with the wound bed while new blood supply develops, so it is commonly secured with stitches and a protective dressing.

A graft has no blood supply of its own when first placed. Fluid, blood or movement beneath it can interfere with attachment. Colour may look pale, purple or mottled early in healing, and the final texture and shade may differ from surrounding skin.

The donor site is a separate wound. Depending on graft thickness, it may be closed with stitches or covered while new surface skin forms. Both areas need care, and a graft does not replace confirmation that the BCC was adequately removed.

Keep dressings dry and leave them in place for the period specified by the surgical team. Avoid rubbing, stretching or pressure over the graft, and limit movements that pull on the area. Use prescribed pain relief and wound products exactly as directed; do not apply antiseptics or creams beneath an intact dressing unless instructed.

Attend the planned dressing and stitch appointments. Once the wound has closed, the clinician may discuss scar care and sun protection based on the graft location and skin condition.

Contact the surgical team promptly for spreading redness, increasing warmth, worsening pain, pus, an unpleasant smell, fever, a dressing soaked with blood, or a graft that becomes very dark, lifts or develops fluid beneath it. Seek urgent care if bleeding continues despite firm pressure or you feel severely unwell.

Ask where donor skin will come from, how to protect each wound, when dressings and stitches will be managed, whether the pathology margins are clear, and what colour or texture changes are expected for this particular graft.