Aesthetic Medicine > Aesthetic Problems > Scars > Burn Scar

Burn Scar

Burns injuries can be caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation. The severity of a burn depends on the heat level and the time involved, as well as the location of burn because of the variation in thickness, water content and amount of subcutaneous fat in different skin area.

A superficial burn will lose the epidermis only and the healing does not cause much problem, although post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation may set in and last for a few months. Deeper and larger burn involving the deep dermis will result in a scar with a mixture of hypertrophic / keloid scar, contracture, and atrophic scar.

Primary treatment of the burn wound should aim to diminish scar contracture by grafting the wound as soon as possible. Early treatment of a burn scar includes use of antibiotics, fatty ointments, bandages, silicon gel sheets, and pressure garments. These aim to prevent the above scar abnormalities.

Later treatment will involve scar removal, coupled with skin grafting, skin flap, and tissue expansion, sometimes in multiple sessions. External preparation containing glycolic acid, tretinoin, and vitamin C may give certain degree of cosmetic improvement.