Skin-fat composite grafts on full-thickness facial skin defects.

Abstract

When used to cover facial skin defects, skin grafts and local flaps have limitations such as color mismatch, volume depletion, and long scar. We used skin-fat composite grafts harvested with enough fat tissue over the whole plane to cover full-thickness facial skin defects. This study enrolled 15 composite grafts, and the results were rated by 2 investigators on a scale of 1 to 5 based on skin texture, color, and volume. Skin color analysis using a spectrophotometer was performed on 9 grafts using the L*a*b* score. There were no major complications, but 1 partial loss. The clinical assessment score ranged from good to excellent. Color assessment using a spectrophotometer showed that there were no significant statistical differences in the L* and a* scores between the grafts and the adjacent skin. Skin and fat composite tissue grafts can be a good option for covering full-thickness facial skin defects.