Methods and devices to process harvested skin tissue and to immediately reintroduce the ground tissue into the patient to repair a tissue defect are disclosed. A hand-held portable tissue grinder comprising a housing and a grinding element are disclosed. The tissue grinder is used for grinding skin and subcutaneous tissue and includes a sterile polymer housing having a first opening adapted to receive the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The tissue grinder also includes a sterile grinding element disposed substantially within the housing.
