If skin needs to be shaved or cut away, usually the burn victim will require a skin graft to cover the defect, he said.

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The graft of skin often comes from another part of the patient's own body -- for example, the thigh -- as long as there a sufficient area of nonburned skin for use.

CNN: Scalp burns painful, need urgent care

Prior to the treatment, surgeons implant the tube, known as a vascular access graft under the skin, connected to a major vein.

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He then wants to take moulded sheets of artificial skin to build up the intermediate layer, the dermis, before adding the outer epithelium graft employing new approaches that lift thin, 20-cell-thick slices from elsewhere on the body.

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