A Simple Technique for Intraoperative Scalp Skin Graft Depilation Using Dermabond®

Skin grafting is an essential aspect of burn and wound reconstruction. Split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs) harvested from the scalp are used for wound and burn reconstruction. Skin grafts from the scalp bear hair and hair particles. Residual hair fragments and pieces of hair in the graft have been associated with many complications, including foreign body reaction similar to pseudofolliculitis and chronic inflammation that can lead to infections. It is important to remove the hair and the hair particles from the scalp graft before its application to the donor site. Traditionally, surgeons have employed some techniques including saline agitation and mechanical removal of the hair particles with forceps. These techniques are time consuming and can subject the graft to mechanical damage. There is another technique that has been described using an adhesive tape. This technique uses Ioban™ (3M Healthcare, St. Paul, MN), followed by a saline wash to remove hair from grafts prior to grafting. In this paper, we introduce a novel technique for intraoperative hair depilation prior to graft application to recipient site. We used Dermabond® (Ethicon, Bridgewater, NJ) to remove residual hair particles from the STSG donor. Our technique has several advantages: it is expeditious, it allows minimal mechanical damage to the graft, and can be used for patients with allergies to Ioban. Intraoperative Dermabond depilation of scalp STSGs is safe, easy, and effective.