A surgical procedure where healthy skin is transplanted from one area of the body to cover damaged or missing skin in another area. Common types include split-thickness and full-thickness grafts, used to treat burns, wounds, or areas where skin has been surgically removed.
From Old Norse 'skinn' (hide, pelt) and Greek 'graphion' (stylus for writing), later meaning to insert or transplant. The grafting concept comes from horticulture, where plant parts are joined together, applied to surgery in the 19th century.
Skin grafting revolutionized burn treatment and plastic surgery, but the grafted skin never quite matches the original - it lacks hair follicles, sweat glands, and normal sensation. The first successful skin grafts were performed in ancient India around 600 BCE, primarily for nose reconstruction, using techniques that are remarkably similar to modern methods.
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