The number of years a skin graft can live is mainly related to the patient’s own physical condition and the maintenance of the affected area. Skin implants can be categorized into autografts and allografts.
1. Autograft: Skin implants can be autografted. In the case of autografts, the regenerative capacity of the skin tissue is relatively strong. Usually, it starts to survive about a week after skin grafting and can grow steadily for about a month. Generally, it will fuse with the surrounding skin tissue after survival and will keep growing with the organism.
2. Allograft: Allograft is usually a therapeutic measure taken when rescuing patients with extensive burns. It is to use skin provided by relatives to temporarily cover the wound, and usually survives for one to two months, and then the transplanted skin will be rejected by the rejection reaction as the autologous skin grows.
At the initial stage of implantation, the newly implanted skin is weak and prone to abrasion or infection if not protected. Patients are advised to pay attention to the protection of the affected area for maintenance, and to seek immediate medical attention if they become unwell.