How to deal with scars after burns

If you are not careful in your daily life, you may get burns. Burns often form ugly scars. If you are not careful, it can easily lead to scar hyperplasia, which will seriously affect the patient's psychology. After a burn, you can use certain methods to remove the scars. Depending on the symptoms of the scars and the degree of the burns, you can choose laser treatment, cryotherapy and other methods.

How to deal with scars after burns

For patients with deformities or scars after trauma or burns, in principle, plastic surgery is usually performed after the scars are relatively stable and mature. On the one hand, this will improve the surgical effect, and on the other hand, it will reduce intraoperative bleeding. Hypertrophic scars usually mature, become soft and flat, lighten in color, and their congestion subsides after 6 months to 2 years. Therefore, the best time for patients with trauma or burns to undergo another surgery is 6 months or 1 year later, when the scars soften and stabilize, and the effect will be better.

However, if it affects the patient's function and life, you should not wait and should promptly remove the scar, release the contracture, correct the eversion, release the surrounding tissue and perform free skin grafting or flap transfer repair. For example, for the upper and lower eyelids, scar contracture can cause the eyelids to evert, making it impossible to close the eyes completely, exposing the conjunctiva, and leaving the cornea unprotected. If not corrected for a long time, it can lead to chronic conjunctivitis, thickening of the tarsal plate and conjunctiva, corneal ulcers, and leukoplakia. In severe cases, it can lead to blindness. For example, in case of burns or trauma to the hands, hypertrophic scars are formed after the wound heals, and the normal functional position is often unable to be maintained; especially scars on the back of the hand, which can pull the metacarpophalangeal joint dorsiflexion after contracture, and even cause joint dislocation. For those with severe hand contracture, functional impairment may occur over time, and disuse muscle atrophy and bone decalcification may also occur, so early treatment should be given.

How to avoid scars after burns

1. Pay attention to the cleanliness and hygiene of the skin on burn scars. When a burn wound is just healing, there is still a small amount of secretion and scab, at which time bacteria can easily multiply rapidly. In addition, the epidermis is thin and tender, and the structure and function are not perfect, so infection and ulceration are very likely to occur. During the recovery period of burn scars, they can be cleaned with a neutral detergent, and then treated with anti-scar drugs.

2. Avoid excessive friction and excessive activity. This is because the scar epidermis has an imperfect structure and function, making it more vulnerable to damage, and some inappropriate treatments may aggravate the damage. When applying anti-scar drugs, you should avoid massaging with excessive force or for too long, as this will cause the epidermis to separate from the fibrous plate layer and form blisters or blood blisters. Excessive movement of the joints will also cause the epidermis to loosen and separate, resulting in blisters.

3. If the burn is on the lower limbs, it is not advisable to get up and move around too early. This is because the scar epidermis is weak, and the underlying vascular structure and function are imperfect, unable to resist the internal pressure of gravity. When standing, the wound surface of the lower limbs will turn purple or even bleed due to ruptured capillaries, which will aggravate scar hyperplasia and is not conducive to the recovery of burn scars. Therefore, it is not advisable to get out of bed and move around too early. The more appropriate time is generally around 3 months. It is also best to use a pressure sleeve for protection before going to the ground, which can reduce scar congestion.