Clinical appearance of full-thickness skin grafts of the nose

BACKGROUND: Full-thickness skin grafting (FTSG) is an option for reconstruction of nasal defects. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the clinical outcome of FTSG on the nose with donor site, location of the defect, and defect size. METHODS: Patients with FTSG on the nose following Mohs' micrographic surgery were enrolled. Clinical and photographic assessments were performed. RESULTS: There were 54 FTSGs; the mean age was 20.6 months, and the average size was 2.1 cm(2). The clinical assessment score was significantly different across donor sites, with dog-car skin providing the best results, followed, respectively, by conchal bowl, preauricular, postauricular, and inner arm skin (p=.006). The global clinical outcome determined from the clinical assessment score was good for inner arm skin and excellent for other sites. The photographic assessment score was not different among donor sites (P=.601). There was no correlation of location and size of the defect to the clinical outcome assessed clinically and photographically (p>.05). CONCLUSION: All potential donor sites should be considered to select the donor site that best matches the defect.