Excess Skin Donation

[Bagawk!]

Has anyone researched excess skin donation for burn victims? I just read an article that briefly touched on it. The article stated that donating your excess skin is one way to get free skin removal. So curious about this.

[Sandra3]

I would be happy to share my apron and bat wings but wonder if the skin quality would be good enough? (lots of stretch marks)

it's an interesting point, I will meet a plastic surgeon in September, I will ask him if they do it.

[Christie13]

If that is true that would be totally cool!!! And it is win win. The WLS patient gets rid of the excess skin and the burn victim gets some healthy skin. Pretty awesome. Definitely something to look into.

[Merry Mary]

From what I've read, medical facilities do not take excess skin for burn victims from live donors. The cost for removing the skin, testing it and storing is not cost effective. Apparently there is a different procedure to remove the skin for burn patients vs a plastic surgeon removing it for cosmetic reasons.

[Shirl]

My daughter just applied to be a burned victim crisis counselor in San Diego, and I will ask her.

[Sammih]

Shirl, I love your WLS graph!

[Linda51]

I asked my surgeon about this and was told that although that used to be done, that in our area, it is no longer a practice. She didn't give me the reasoning behind the change, but I was sad to learn that I won't be able to donate to burn victims. By the way, I live in Central California, so it may be different in other areas. If there's a weird law or regulation to be made, California will be the first state to jump right in there . . .

[Pam G]

If that were the case, then there'd be LOTS of people having plastics done. L.O.T.S.!!

[VeryLargeBob]

Has anyone researched excess skin donation for burn victims? I just read an article that briefly touched on it. The article stated that donating your excess skin is one way to get free skin removal. So curious about this.

Evidently I had quite a bit of "high quality excessive skin"...no stretch marks or scars, I just looked like a deflated human being. My plastic surgeon said I was an ideal candidate for skin donation for grafts, and I'm told I donated quite a bit. Pity I can't take a "charitable donation" on my taxes, but that probably would trigger an audit (Donation Type: Pound(s) of flesh)

[ghost_ryder]

Good way to satisfy the Seven Pounds of Flesh, huh Bob.

[GigiUSA]

I guess I never thought about donating skin for grafts but that makes sense and benefits both parties.

[ThatGirlKat]

I work at a hospital that specializes in the treatment of burns and I can tell you this is pretty much a myth. The cost of anesthesia, operating room, surgeon, etc. for the skin removal surgery is very cost-prohibitive for most institutions. And those needing/wanting excess skin removal also have a lot of other tissue that is usually removed along with just the top layer of skin that we use for grafts for burn survivors. Also, the excess skin of most WLS patients is stretched beyond repair and would not be good to use.

The grafts that are used are taken from people once they pass away (just like organ donation) and it is only as thick as about 15 pieces of paper. If you're interested in helping burn survivors, sign up to be a tissue donor and make sure to tell your next of kin.