The donor site must be a flat, firm surface, the back and thighs being commonly used. The blade is checked carefully, inserted into the dermatome, and secured. When the desired width and thickness calibrations are determined and settings made, a thin layer of mineral oil is spread over the donor site and carefully on the dermatome. A surgical assistant helps keep tension on the donor site. The dermatome should be started prior to making contact with the skin and approached at approximately a 45-degree angle. Once the dermatome has engaged the skin and a couple of centimeters of advancement occurred, the dermatome should be lowered to approximately a 30-degree angle. The dermatome is advanced until the desired length of skin is obtained. The amount of pressure exerted becomes important, as too great a pressure may produce a thicker graft of skin than is desired. If large areas need grafting, as in extensive burns, the skin graft can be placed through a mesher to increase the surface area grafted with each graft. In most applications, meshing beyond a ratio of 3:1 makes handling the mesh difficult with mixed results. Most meshing occurs with a ratio of 1.5:1.0 (Figure 4). In general, meshing should not take place for grafting of the face or hands. Placing the graft dermis side up on the mesh board will facilitate application of the graft onto the recipient area.