Skin graft on the face: what to know before and after

Before surgery, the clinician assesses the wound or area needing coverage, nearby skin, blood supply, and whether a partial-thickness or full-thickness graft is appropriate. They may mark a donor site and explain how the graft will be secured. Facial swelling, bruising, tightness, altered sensation, and a visibly different colour or texture can occur during early healing. The graft and donor area mature at different speeds, so the final appearance is judged gradually rather than during the first dressing changes.

Keep dressings in place exactly as instructed and do not pick at crusts or test whether the graft has attached. Keep pressure, rubbing, strenuous activity, and unapproved creams away from the area. Sleep with your head raised if your treating team recommends it, and follow their cleaning and medication instructions. Once the wound has closed and the clinician permits it, sun protection helps reduce long-lasting colour contrast. Scar care or later resurfacing, such as Fractional Laser Treatment, should only be considered after assessment.

Contact the surgical team promptly for increasing pain, spreading redness, warmth, foul-smelling drainage, fever, bleeding that does not settle with instructed pressure, or a dressing that becomes unexpectedly soaked. Urgent assessment is needed for severe facial swelling affecting breathing or vision. A graft that becomes dark, pale, unusually cold, or separates from the wound also needs prompt review because its blood supply may be compromised.

Which graft type suits my facial wound, where will the donor skin come from, and how will both areas be dressed? When can I wash, work, exercise, shave, and use skincare? What changes should prompt a same-day call, and when will you assess scar colour, texture, and contour?