Burn Injury Resource Center
After being discharged home from the hospital, a new phase of wound care starts at home. The new healing skin needs special care and consideration in which you play a major role.
Bathing: the first thing to be done before getting into a shower or a tub is to test the temperature of the water as your new skin is sensitive to extreme cold or extreme hot water and can be injured easily. Make sure that the area where bathing is taking place (shower or tub) is clean. Always look for signs and symptoms of infection of infection especially in children as they may not be able to speak. Gently wash with a clean soft towel instead of vigorously rubbing as this will lesson any discomfort associated with bathing. Use your medications as described before washing the wound if you have any open area. Continue to wash these area as directed according to the instructions that you have been given and with applying medication as directed.
Scarring: it’s very difficult to tell how much scarring will be perminant in the beginnig. People vary in their tendency to scar, some people have a greater tendency to scar than others and it’s difficult to determine how much scarring each patient will have as the amount is determend depending on the depth of the burn as well as individual basis. There are 2 types of scars, Keliod and hypertrophic scars.
A keloid scar is a type of scar that results in an overgrowth of tissue at the site of healed skin injury due to aggressive healing process. This type of scar grows and extends beyond the site of injury unlike hypertrophic scar. They occur as a result of the body’s continuous production of collagen which is a fibrous protein after the healing of the wound. They often appear red or pink in color as compared to the surrounding normal skin. They are firm, rubbery lesions; they may appear shiny or as fibrous nodules. Keloid scars may be accompanied by severe itching, pain and may limit mobility if they are extensive. They may vary in size and some types may increase in size. They may occur anywhere on the body although some areas are more susceptible to form keloid scars such as the deltoid region. They occur more often in darker skinned patients.
A hypertrophic scar is an elevated scar that appears red, thick and raised as a lump on the skin, hypertrophic scars usually feel firm to the touch, and they may be sensitive to changes in temperature or texture. They don’t grow beyond the injury site or incision (unlike a keloid scar which grows beyond the original site of the injury). Hypertrophic scars usually start to develop within weeks after the injury and often improve in appearance with time, which may take few years.
Treatment of scars is not easy, scars have the tendency to re-occur and multiple treatments may be required. Treatment may include compression garments, steriod injuction, cryotherapy, surgical therapy and laser surgery.
It’s important to follow your doctor’s instructions. if you have been prescribed compression garments, it is important to wear them for 23 hours a day (taken off only when bathing), as they can minimize scarring. If you were taught any exercises than you have to do them as they will minimize the scarring.
This information is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice; it should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Call 911 for all medical emergencies.