Skin Donation

THANKFULLY I DO NOT NEED TO GO THROUGH ANY SORT OF RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY, BUT I HAVE SEEN A FEW ARTICLES ON SKIN DONATIONS

ALOT OF DOCS THAT WORK IN BURN CENTERS ARE DOING PRO BONO WORK TO GET THE SKIN FOR GRAFTS , NOT A BAD IDEA IF IT IS SOMETHING ONE NEEDS TO GET RID OF THE EXTRA SKIN AND DOESNT HAVE THE MEANS TO PAY FOR IT. JUST A THOUGHT FOR ANYONE TO LOOK INTO.

Great idea but I have terrible stretch marks-probably not acceptable.

Very VERY VERRRRY rarely are these operations completely free. I did burn for several years and many people would come to us and ask about donation for free surgery.

You can certainly donate the excess skin that is removed in the course of a planned TT or LBL, etc. But as far as having that operation for free, that is beyond rare. Burn surgeons are not always plastic surgeons. Their surgical specialty is not in reconstructing someone after they have lost a large amount of weight, they reconstruct someone after a trauma or a fire. Very different approaches. In the OR after a burn, we didn't use lipo to shape and contour or tighten abdominal muscles, etc. We didn't care about perfect scar placement when grafting a burned area. You simply can't. Burn surgery (at the time of the burn) is about covering the exposed tissues and preventing infection and promoting wound healing. I wouldn't want most burn surgeons doing my TT or LBL.

I have read and heard where a portion of the surgical fee was waived for a donation. But that is a PORTION, not the whole thing for free.

i asked my PS's office about it and they it was a good idea, but an urban legend ??? dunno if i believe that, but i've got about 200 feet just waiting to be discarded of ...

Just an FYI guys, anything taken out of your body or off it becomes no longer your property. SO if you have say your toncills out, they can and most likely will be used for testing, research ect. It is actually on every surgery waiver you sign. EVERYTHING is used in research, and your skin can be passed on even without your actual consent. You sign it over to them with the surgery. You can cross off that part of the waiver if you want, and it may or may not make a difference.

I am donating mine not because I am getting $$ off but because it is the right thing to do, hell I don't want it back. But if they want it, they legally can use it even without me designating it specifically as such.

(Hey, I am learning something in college! Thanks Bio Ethics...lol)

Just an FYI guys, anything taken out of your body or off it becomes no longer your property. SO if you have say your toncills out, they can and most likely will be used for testing, research ect. It is actually on every surgery waiver you sign. EVERYTHING is used in research, and your skin can be passed on even without your actual consent. You sign it over to them with the surgery. You can cross off that part of the waiver if you want, and it may or may not make a difference.

I am donating mine not because I am getting $$ off but because it is the right thing to do, hell I don't want it back. But if they want it, they legally can use it even without me designating it specifically as such.

(Hey, I am learning something in college! Thanks Bio Ethics...lol)

Well Seeing How The Docs Were Interviewed In The Boston Globe For This Procedure Id Have To Say They Are Willing To Do It , Its A Win Win Situation For All Really , And Hey When Ya Get The Money Have It Touched Up, I Would Think One Could Deal With A Scar Than An Extra 200 Feet Of Skin As Mentioned Above Specially If It Was Pro Bono, And They Said No Payment On There

Well Seeing How The Docs Were Interviewed In The Boston Globe For This Procedure Id Have To Say They Are Willing To Do It , Its A Win Win Situation For All Really , And Hey When Ya Get The Money Have It Touched Up, I Would Think One Could Deal With A Scar Than An Extra 200 Feet Of Skin As Mentioned Above Specially If It Was Pro Bono, And They Said No Payment On There

My Plastic Surgeon says that they don't use the skin because it is such "poor" quality. He says because it is so stretched out and thin, it is not the optimum for skin grafting. I don't know that if they were in a "pinch" and needed any skin bad enough that they might take it. Just my "2 cents" worth.

It is of course against the law (and unethical) to sell human tissue or body parts, and so skin donation cannot be done for anything of value...like free surgery.

Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation lists good information about how skin donation can help others.

Best wishes,

John LoMonaco, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Plastic Surgery
Houston, Texas

OMG - Dr. LoMonaco is a member here!?? wow! welcome!

Thank you, DrLo!