Burn surgery is a vast and specialized area of plastic surgery that addresses the wide range of injuries caused by burns. Each case is unique and requires a tailored approach depending on the severity, depth, and location of the burn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Principles of Burn Surgery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Burns\u2014whether caused by flames, boiling water, chemicals, or other sources\u2014lead to varying degrees of skin layer destruction<\/strong>.
When the skin\u2019s natural regenerative ability is compromised<\/strong>, the result is a deep burn<\/strong>, which almost always causes long-term after-effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the damaged skin, the body forms retractile scars<\/strong> to compensate for the loss of tissue. These scars often tighten and distort the surrounding skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of burn reconstruction surgery is to restore healthy, functional, and aesthetically acceptable skin<\/strong>. Several surgical techniques may be used, depending on the situation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skin Grafting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Skin grafts can be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
• Full-thickness grafts<\/strong> (total skin)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Split-thickness grafts<\/strong> (thin skin layers)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

  These are commonly used to restore delicate or visible areas like the face, eyelids, nose, and fingers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Flap Surgery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

  In this technique, healthy, vascularized skin<\/strong> from another part of the body is repositioned over the burn area.
  This method helps release scar tension<\/strong> and improve mobility, but it is limited by the availability of donor skin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Tissue Expansion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

  To reduce the need for distant donor sites, a silicone balloon<\/strong> (tissue expander) is placed under healthy skin.
  It is gradually filled with saline via a small valve, stretching the skin<\/strong> over time.
  This expanded skin can then be used as a flap or graft donor<\/strong>.
  This technique has revolutionized burn care<\/strong>, especially in complex reconstructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Artificial Dermis (Integra\u00ae)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

  For extensive burns, an artificial dermis<\/strong> can temporarily replace the missing subcutaneous tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  \n
  • Stage 1<\/strong>: The artificial dermis is applied to the scarred area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Stage 2 (21 days later)<\/strong>: A thin skin graft is placed over the new dermal layer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Although effective, this method is expensive<\/strong> and the cosmetic results may vary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Enhancing Skin Quality After Reconstruction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Once skin coverage has been restored, additional techniques may be needed to improve the texture, function, and appearance<\/strong> of the reconstructed skin:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    • Fat Grafting (Lipofilling)<\/strong>: Improves skin quality and suppleness in grafted or scarred areas<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Dermabrasion<\/strong>: Helps correct color and pigment irregularities<\/strong> between normal and grafted skin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      In Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Burn reconstruction surgery should only be considered after the initial treatment phase is complete<\/strong>, except in specific urgent cases (e.g. eyelid or hand burns).
      Initial treatments typically include split-thickness or full-thickness skin grafts<\/strong>, followed by months of healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      During this phase:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
      • Physical therapy<\/strong> and pressure garments<\/strong> are crucial to reduce scar tightness and improve mobility<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Surgery can only proceed once scars have fully stabilized<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Surgical Setting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        \n
        • Procedures are typically performed under general anesthesia<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Takes place in a conventional hospital environment<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Post-operative care is often lengthy<\/strong> and requires strong commitment and follow-up by the patient<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Burn surgery is a vast and specialized area of plastic surgery that addresses the wide range of injuries caused by burns. Each case is unique and requires a tailored approach depending on the severity, depth, and location of the burn. Principles of Burn Surgery Burns\u2014whether caused by flames, boiling water, chemicals, or other sources\u2014lead to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1582,"parent":2102,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/domain-single.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2222","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2222\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/micheldelpe.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}