Plastic Surgery
Burns Surgery
Burns Surgery
Surgery will not be able to remove a patient’s burn scars entirely, but it will help improve basic functions and make scars less noticeable. Scarring can limit the normal motion of the neck, shoulder, hands, or legs. Often surgery to help release this contracture can help a patient regain range of motion. Facial scarring that leads to problems with the eyelids, lips, nose, or hair loss can also be helped with reconstructive burn surgery. Scars that are abnormally thick, wide, or discolored might also be improved by a variety of operative and non-operative methods.
What are the options for reconstructive burn treatment?
Non-operative therapies might involve scar massage, application of pressure garments, or other topical therapies. Our therapists help with the rehabilitation of hand burns and scars. Surgical options consist mainly of scar release procedures. The tight scar tissue is released and the open area closed by a plastic surgeon. There are a variety of ways to close these wounds depending on a patient’s needs. Skin grafts, skin rearrangement (sometimes called Z-plasty), and more complex skin donor flaps could be used, depending on the location of the scar and a patient’s personal goals. Most minor procedures are performed as outpatient surgery, but the larger grafts and flaps would likely require an inpatient stay. Tissue expansion can also be used as an alternative to skin grafting. Excellent results are commonly attained when performing tissue expansion to regions of the face, neck, arms, hands, and legs.
