The fate of dermal and dermal-fat grafts

Histological changes in dermis and dermal-fat grafts have been hampered by the lack of a defined boundary to allow precise localization. We describe a model in which grafts of skin components were coated with india ink and implanted over the perichondrium of pigs' ears. Histological studies were then performed at 2-weekly intervals for 10 weeks. The survival of the grafts was also quantified. Skin adnexal structures found in dermal grafts survived with some changes. Grafts with an epithelial component produced an intense inflammatory infiltrate and formed inclusion cysts. Fat tended to disappear, a significant part of it being replaced by fibrous tissue. Dermis grafts implanted in the ears of growing pigs not only survived, but grew.