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Burn Injuries: Scarring

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Burn Scars

For many patients, scarring is one of the most devastating consequences of severe burns. Changes to your appearance may be extreme, resulting in life-long psychological harm. And burn injury scars can have a serious physical effect. You may have lost range of motion or mobility. Burn injury treatment methods have improved to the point that scarring is not as severe as it was years ago. Getting proper treatment for burns right away can minimize the development of scars. Subsequent medical treatments can reduce the scarring that has developed or minimize its impact on functioning.

Types of Burn Scars

There are several types of burn scars including:

  • Keloid – keloid scars are scar tissue that has overgrown. They are thick scars that often appear as shiny, hairless lumps.
  • Hypertrophic – hypertrophic scars are confirmed to the burn area but are typically raised. They may be red or purple in color and they may itch and cause discomfort.
  • Contractures – contractures are tightening of the skin, muscles or tendons. They can reduce range of motion causing impairment, and can be severe enough to cause loss of mobility.

Burn Scar Prevention and Treatment

Prevention of scar formation happens during burn injury treatment and the healing phase. To prevent scarring:

  • You may be asked to wear compression garments every day for several months
  • You may need to wear a splint to keep joints straight during the healing process, to prevent contractures

Treatment for burn scars can include:

  • Skin grafts to replace damages skin with healthy skin from another part of your body or from a donor
  • Physical therapy to improve range of motion where there are contractures
  • Surgery to release contractures so that mobility or range of motion is restored or improved

To learn more about compensation for burn scars and burn scar treatment, please talk to an experienced burn injury attorney today.

Home Remedies for Burns

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Aloe Vera

Minor burns can be treated at home. Burns should be treated immediately for best results. However, most of us have picked up some bad information over the years, so now is your chance to refresh your knowledge and find out what you should avoid using to treat burns. And, of course, do not try to treat a third degree burn at home. For serious burns, or if you are unsure, seek emergency medical care.

First, Cool the Burn

Run cool water over the burn or submerge it in cool water for 15 to 30 minutes. If you don’t have access to running water, a cool compress will work. Do not use ice or very cold water. That can cause more damage to the tissue.

Clean the Burn

Wash the burn very gently, with saline or mild soap. Do not use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Both can damage or kill skin cells, causing the burn to heal more slowly.

Honey

Gently spread honey over the burn, and cover with dry, sterile gauze. Honey has been scientifically proven to help heal burns in numerous ways. It acts as an anti-inflammatory, prevents infection, and promotes wound healing. However, you don’t want to use just any honey you find at the store. You need raw, unfiltered honey or medical honey. You can also buy dressings that are already infused with honey.

Aloe Vera

If you don’t have raw honey, try Aloe Vera. Squeeze it right out of the plant if you have one. If not, use pure aloe gel. Be careful about commercially purchased aloe products. Most contain other ingredients, such as alcohol and perfumes, that can cause pain and make the damage worse.

And remember, never put butter on a burn.

Serious burns require immediate medical attention. Severe burns should be treated in a burn unit if at all possible. If you or someone you love has suffered serious burns as a result of someone else’s negligence, please contact an experienced injury attorney and schedule your free initial consultation right away.

Burn Injuries –Seeking Compensation through Premises Liability

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A burn injury can be painful and devastating. If you or someone you know has suffered a burn injury resulting from another party’s negligence, you may seek compensation for the damages caused by the accident by filing a personal injury claim. If the injury occurred on someone else’s property and resulted from the negligence of the property owner or manager, that person may be liable under a theory of premises liability.

Burn types

When your skin comes into contact with an excessively hot substance or surface, you will be burned. Burns are grouped into three main categories.

1- First degree burns

These are relatively minor burns. The burns result in reddening of the skin. The victim may also experience some topical pain. Recovery from these burns is relatively easy with proper care. The human body is able to heal the burned area with little need for medical intervention. These cases rarely justify the expense or time involved with a lawsuit.

2- Second degree burns

These are more severe than first degree burns. The pain is much deeper since deeper tissues are affected by the burning. These burns result in the skin swelling, reddening and blistering. Some medical intervention may be required to help in recovery and healing from these burns.

3 – Third degree burns

These are the most severe types of burns. These burns affect deep tissues in the body. They completely destroy the skin and the nerves. Third degree burns may result in blackened or visibly charred skin. The burned areas may be white where the skin has been completely destroyed. Recovery from these burns requires medical intervention. Scars are likely to last a lifetime.

Common causes of burns

Burns can result from exposure to various situations including:

  1. Overexposure to the sun
  2. Fire
  3. Radiation
  4. Steam
  5. Hot liquids
  6. Friction
  7. Corrosive chemicals
  8. Electricity

Negligence

Proving negligence when it comes to burn injuries can be a complex process. However, the at-fault party can only be held liable if there is evidence of negligence. Examples of situations that show negligence include:

  1. The victim getting burned after coming into contact with a frayed wire
  2. A fire that was not properly contained
  3. Burns may result from chemical spills or radiation leaks
  4. Burns resulting from poor maintenance of a building of the fire suppression system

Who should be held liable?

When the accident occurred on another party’s property (including a landlord property), the owner of the property may be held liable for the damages resulting from the accident. The victim may seek compensation for damages under a premises liability claim. However, the victim must demonstrate that the injuries suffered were a direct result of the property owner’s negligence.

If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of someone’s negligence, please contact an experienced burn injury attorney today.

Burn and Explosion Injury

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Few injuries are more painful or more disfiguring than a burn injury caused by a fire or explosion. Not only are these injuries devastating, but they can do long term damage both physically and mentally. For that reason, if you or a loved one suffered a severe burn injury, you need a committed attorney who will ensure that you are fully compensated for your pain and suffering.

Your attorney should understand that no amount of money can possibly compensate you for the physical and mental pain associated with a severe burn injury. Further, it can be very difficult to determine compensation for the loss of your home, personal documents, mementos let alone compensate you for the long lasting and often debilitating injuries that are typically caused by explosion or fire accidents.

Your attorney’s job is to ensure that you and your loved ones are not financially crippled due to the expenses that are created by loss of wages, surgeries, pain medication, and rehabilitation therapy that is often a result of the fire or explosion injury.

Burns and explosions are most commonly caused by:

  • Fireplaces
  • Wood burning stoves
  • Coal burning stoves
  • Space heaters
  • Electric heaters
  • Cigarette lighters
  • Furniture that is upholstered
  • Matches
  • Mattresses and other bedding
  • Liquids that are flammable
  • Clothing

In California, the most common causes of fire injuries and deaths include heating equipment that is poorly maintained or in disrepair, careless cigarette smoking and accidents caused while cooking. Too often space heaters and electric blankets increase the likelihood of a fire erupting as a result of not being properly maintained or improper operation.

Burns are not only disfiguring, they are extremely painful. Burns that are caused by building fires, liquids and gasses are the most common serious burns.  The accepted definitions of degrees of burn are:

  • First Degree – affects only the outer layer of skin
  • Second Degree – affects the other skin and the layer immediately below it
  • Third Degree – extensive burning of all layers of skin and damage to underlying tissue which often require skin grafts.

Burn and explosion injury victims often spend long periods of time in specialized burn units and will be faced with scarring, deformity, potential toxins in blood and urine, respiratory distress and all too often, death.

This article has been submitted by Pacific Attorney Group. If you or someone you love has been the victim of a burn or explosion accident visit our website for more information about burn injury lawsuits. We will fight to ensure that you receive full compensation for your injuries.