Complex Wounds

Large wounds that struggle to heal on their own are frequently treated by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Such wounds can develop as a result of prolonged pressure, major trauma, or even minor trauma in individuals with:

  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Impaired cognition
  • Immobility
  • Diabetes
  • Medical conditions requiring immune suppression therapies
  • Areas of radiation therapy

Treatment

For more superficial wounds, a regimen of dressings and supportive wound care may be prescribed for nurses to perform. This may also require surgical removal of non-viable or unhealthy tissue called debridement. If the wound is sufficiently large or slow to heal, a combination of surgical strategies can be employed to replace deficient tissue:

Skin Grafts

Heal by adhering to and being supported by the blood supply of the underlying wound.

Local Skin Flaps

Rearrangements of adjacent skin and fat which carry its own blood supply to cover the wound.


Regional or Distant Pedicled Tissue Flaps

Using a combination of tissues which carry their own blood supply over a distance to fill the wound.

“Free” or Autologous (Within The Same Body) Tissue Transfer

Disconnecting a tissue system and its feeding blood vessels from one part of the body and transplanting it to the area requiring reconstruction, using microsurgical techniques to connect the blood supplies.

To start your journey to a more beautiful you, contact our office to make an appointment.

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