Skin graft on a patient's ankle. Skin grafts are performed when a wound (centre left) is too large to be stitched shut or when severe scarring would occur if the wound was left to heal naturally. In a skin graft, a layer of skin is taken from elsewhere on the body and placed over the wound. This then grows and joins with the surrounding tissue, protecting the wound from infection and speeding the healing process. Skin grafts normally cause much less scarring than if the wound had healed naturally, although the colour and texture of the new skin may not exactly match its surroundings. This injury occurred in a motorbike accident.