From minor, first-degree burns that affect just the outer layer of skin to major, third-degree burns that extend into the deep tissues below the skin's surface, any burns can leave scars after they heal. The scars from deep burns and burns that cover a large area of skin are the most likely to cause complications, according to Merck.com.
Less Elasticity
Scarred skin that has healed from a burn can be less elastic than healthy skin, says BurnSurgery.com. About half of the cases of serious burns that have healed lead to an abnormal scarring process known as hypotrophic scars. These types of scars cause increased collagen levels that decrease elasticity in the affected area of skin, BurnSurgery.com says, restricting movement at the scarring site and leading to discomfort. Scar tissue shrinks as it heals, says Merck.com, so scarring on a limb--such as a leg--or digit--a finger or toe--may restrict the movement of nearby joints. If joint motion is restricted by burn scars, Merck.com says, patients usually need physical and occupational therapy to prevent the affected areas from becoming immobile.
Vulnerability to Injury
Burn scars stimulate the growth of fibrous tissue, BurnSurgery.com says, leading the skin to thicken without the usual underlying strength to support it. As a result, the skin's surface becomes more vulnerable to injury. Many second- and third-degree burns cause scarring. In most of those cases, according to Merck.com, skin grafting is necessary to help protect the skin against future damage. Skin grafting involves taking healthy skin from an unburned area of the patient's body, a deceased person or an animal and sewing it over the burned area after doctors have cleaned the wound and removed dead tissue.
Contractures
When burn scars mature, they tend to thicken and tighten, causing a condition called a contracture, says Children's Hospital Boston. Contractures prevent normal motion at the burn scar site, but there are several ways to prevent them: wearing a splint to keep a joint straight in the affected area, exercising the area to maintain its normal range of motion, stretching, and maintaining routine activities to encourage the scarred skin to keep moving as it normally would.
Member Comments