What is a skin graft?

Skin grafting is a surgical procedure in which healthy skin is transplanted on to a damaged part of a person’s body. Generally, the three most common kinds of skin grafts are autologous (or autographs), in which donor skin is taken from a different site on the same person’s body; allogeneic (or allografts), in which donors and patients are of the same species; and xenogeneic (xenografts or heterografts), in which donors and patients are of different species (the donor is often a pig). Other types of skin grafts include isogeneic (isografts), in which the donor and patient are genetically identical; and syngrafts, in which tissue is replaced with synthetic materials.