title: Evolution of instruments for harvest of the skin grafts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The harvest of autologous skin graft is considered to be a fundamental skill of the plastic surgeon. The objective of this article is to provide an interesting account of the development of skin grafting instruments as we use them today in various plastic surgical procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors present the chronological evolution and modifications of the skin grafting knife, including those contributions not often cited in the literature, using articles sourced from MEDLINE, ancient manuscripts, original quotes, techniques and illustrations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This article traces the evolution of instrumentation for harvest of skin grafts from free hand techniques to precise modern automated methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although skin grafting is one of the basic techniques used in reconstructive surgery yet harvest of a uniform graft of desired thickness poses a challenge. This article is dedicated to innovators who have devoted their lives and work to the advancement of the field of plastic surgery.
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College, Meerut, India.
authors: Faisal
authors: F
authors: Ameer
authors: Arun Kumar
authors: AK
authors: Singh
authors: Sandeep
authors: S
authors: Kumar
keywords: Dermatomes; skin grafting knives; split-thickness skin graft
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