How to Know if You Need Reconstructive Burn Surgery

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thousands of people die in fires and from burn-related complications every year. Those who are fortunate enough to survive fire-related incidents often deal with pain, deformities, and skin conditions, even after years of healing.

If you’ve been injured in a fire, reconstructive burn surgery may be able to help you. Elliott H. Rose, MD, of The Aesthetic Surgery Center has been changing the lives of burn victims with reconstructive burn surgery for more than 25 years. In this blog, Dr. Rose discusses what it involves.

Who can benefit?

Burn surgeries are often classified as either acute or reconstructive. Most burn victims will require acute burn care from a team of specialized trauma surgeons immediately following a fire-related accident. 

Reconstructive surgery is usually undergone some time after the incident. The aim of this type of surgery is to help the patient regain function, comfort, and appearance. For example, if skin is discolored, treatment can help provide new skin for the area. If burn scarring is causing tightness, treatment can help return freedom of motion.

Patients seeking burn reconstruction surgery are usually advised to wait at least a year after the injury to give the body time to heal and improve discoloration and skin texture.

Types of reconstructive burn surgery

Although burn scarring can’t be erased completely, there are many techniques that can greatly improve the skin’s appearance and function. Dr. Rose brings more than 25 years of experience to The Aesthetic Surgery Center in treating burn victims, using traditional and advanced medical techniques. 

Skin grafts

This technique involves removing healthy skin from another part of the body and transplanting it onto damaged skin cells to encourage skin regrowth. After the surgery, the skin graft is usually wrapped in a bandage to help prevent an infection.

Tissue expansion

Tissue expansion is a reconstruction technique that involves inserting a balloon-like device under the skin to help regrow and reshape damaged areas. The device is filled with a saline mixture, which helps gently stretch skin into a more desirable shape.

Free flap procedure

This technique is often used to resurface severe burns by using skin, muscle, or bone from a donor site, and placing it on the burn site. Microsurgery and persistent wound care is often used with the free flap procedure.

If you have a burn-related injury, Dr. Rose can help. In your first consultation, Dr. Rose will review your medical history and burn areas to come up with a custom treatment plan that best suits your needs. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with The Aesthetic Surgery Center today.