Reconstructing burn can be overwhelming for victim and their families. Burn is painful and wound care can be arduous for patient. The surgical treatment is not easy to endure. Whether it is a small area or life threatening burn, the medical practitioner must be very careful while dealing with the patient.
Proper wound care is crucial for healing a superficial without leaving any burn scar. Vigilant and professional wound care can promote healing within a span of 10-14 days. On the other hand, deeper burns (deep second degree) and full thickness burns (third degree) may need careful and extensive surgical care in a hospital Burn Unit. In most cases, the surgeon removes deeply burned areas and places a split thickness skin graft for resurfacing burnt areas. Surgeon will take skin graft from unburned areas (such as the back, thigh, buttocks, etc).
Secondary burn reconstruction is conducted for treating healed burn scars. This is a difficult process to undertake. A wide range of surgical techniques and approaches are used for restoring movement and function of a part of the body affected by burns. An experience surgeon will focus on restoring aesthetic features of the face and body.
Severe burn injuries are immensely damaging. Restoring bodily function and natural appearance of a patient can be immensely challenging for a surgeon. I have performed several reconstruction surgeries in past years. Restoration of function is promoted by replacing stiff and tight burn scars. A surgeon should also focus on replacing irregular unnatural appearance of a meshed split thickness skin graft for the same. Common bodily functions such as stiff joints can be restored by replacing burn scars with expanded normal skin and full thickness skin grafts. This will also help restore natural appearance of patient’s face and body.
