Burn injuries are among the most difficult and expensive injuries to treat. Even a minor burn can become infected and require more serious treatment. Victims of severe burns often need to receive treatment at specialized burn centers.
If you’ve experienced a burn, you know how painful it can be. That pain derives from nerve endings that are damaged by the burn. The medical community generally agrees that serious burns are among the most painful injuries a person can experience.
The American Burn Association reports 1.1 million people require medical attention for burn injuries each year. When a burn harms the skin’s protective layer, it often leads to an infection. Sadly, roughly 10,000 Americans die every year due to burn-related infections.
Medical professionals often treat serious burns by surgically removing the dead tissue. In many cases, the tissue is damaged beyond repair, necessitating a skin graft. A skin graft is when a surgeon removes a piece of healthy skin from an unharmed area of the body and uses it to replace injured skin.
Additionally, burn victims may need physical therapy to help reduce scarring and to prevent the skin from losing its flexibility. Children who receive skin grafts may need to replace them as they grow because the grafts do not expand.
