What should you know about lip skin graft?

A surgeon may recommend grafting when lip tissue has been lost or cannot close safely after an injury, removal of a lesion, burn, or another procedure. Skin is taken from a donor site and placed over the prepared recipient area. The graft must be protected while it connects with its new blood supply. Colour, texture, movement, sensation, and the border of the lip can change during healing, and the donor site heals separately.

The exact method depends on the size, depth, and location of the defect. A specialist can explain whether a graft or a local flap is more suitable. [Skin Graft](/treatments/surgical-dermatology/skin-graft/) provides related treatment information.

Follow the surgical team’s dressing, medicine, mouth-care, and eating instructions precisely. Keep the graft and donor site protected, avoid rubbing or stretching the lip, and do not smoke while healing. Choose foods and drinks according to the team’s advice, particularly if chewing or opening the mouth pulls on the repair. Attend every wound review so the team can check colour, attachment, infection, and movement. Scar care or later treatment, such as [Fractional Laser Treatment](/treatments/laser-and-energy/fractional-laser-treatment/), should be considered only after the surgeon confirms that healing is ready.

Contact the surgical team promptly if the graft becomes grey, black, increasingly pale, very cold, or suddenly separates. Seek urgent help for uncontrolled bleeding, rapidly worsening swelling, breathing difficulty, high fever, severe pain, pus, or spreading redness. New difficulty speaking, drinking, or closing the mouth also deserves prompt review.

Ask where the donor skin will come from, how the repair may affect lip movement and sensation, what foods and activities to avoid, and how scar care will be timed. Ask who to contact outside office hours if the graft changes colour or loosens.