Comparative Measurement of Biophysical Parameters in Consideration of Skin Graft Donor Site for Nasal Defects.

BACKGROUND

In planning a skin graft, the texture, color, and size of the recipient and donor site tissues should be considered.

OBJECTIVE

We determined the optimal donor sites for nasal full-thickness skin grafting based on biophysical parameters.

METHODS

Thirty women over the age of 60 were selected for this study. Four recipient sites (nasal root, dorsum, tip, ala) and three donor sites (preauricle, postauricle, forehead) were considered. Biophysical parameters such as transepidermal water loss (TEWL), capacitance, sebum output, erythema/melanin value, and skin replica technique were tested.

RESULTS

The nasal root was correlated with the forehead in terms of TEWL and sebum output. The nasal dorsum was correlated with the preauricle in terms of TEWL, erythema/melanin value, and skin replica measurements. The nasal tip was correlated with the preauricle in terms of TEWL, sebum output, erythema/melanin value, and skin replica measurements. The ala was correlated with the forehead in terms of TEWL and skin replica measurements.

CONCLUSION

The preauricule is the optimal donor site for resurfacing of the nasal dorsum and tip. The forehead is a good donor site for alar defects. For resurfacing of the nasal root, the forehead and postauricle are good choices.