How Does Skin Heal After a Burn?
The healing process for burned skin requires patience and careful treatment, and serious burns require professional attention.
Serious burns and other skin wounds take time – and careful management – to heal correctly. In general, burns that go deep into the tissue or cover a large area of the skin require the most attention and professional care.
Many serious burns require weeks or months of ongoing care because the skin heals from the bottom up and from the edges inward.
Stages of Healing
In the first stages of the healing process, collagen – the basic connective tissue of the skin – expands into the wound area, providing support for rebuilding the rest of the skin.
Once the collagen structure is in place, your blood vessels can begin nourishing the new skin and nerve cells. Your hair pigment, oil, and sweat glands may also begin to regenerate unless they have been permanently damaged by the burn.
Once the collagen structure is in place, your blood vessels can begin nourishing the new skin and nerve cells. Your hair pigment, oil, and sweat glands may also begin to regenerate unless they have been permanently damaged by the burn.
Treating Complications
If the full thickness of the skin has been destroyed over large areas, it may not grow back properly. However, our burn specialists may be able to use skin grafts to restore some or all of the damaged area.
The healing of large burns may be complicated by many factors. Infection can slow the healing process or even lead to further tissue destruction.
As a wound heals, the edges are drawn together by a process called contracture. If the burn has damaged skin over the neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, or ankles, this tightening of the healing skin can limit or even freeze movement of the affected area.
The healing of large burns may be complicated by many factors. Infection can slow the healing process or even lead to further tissue destruction.
As a wound heals, the edges are drawn together by a process called contracture. If the burn has damaged skin over the neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, or ankles, this tightening of the healing skin can limit or even freeze movement of the affected area.
Treating Scars
If you are worried about reduced range of motion, discomfort, pain, skin discoloration, or other scarring after a burn, our experienced care team can suggest a solution or provide therapies designed to help your healed skin appear as normal as possible.
Support Groups
Stages of Healing
In the first stages of the healing process, collagen – the basic connective tissue of the skin – expands into the wound area, providing support for rebuilding the rest of the skin.
Once the collagen structure is in place, your blood vessels can begin nourishing the new skin and nerve cells. Your hair pigment, oil, and sweat glands may also begin to regenerate unless they have been permanently damaged by the burn.
Once the collagen structure is in place, your blood vessels can begin nourishing the new skin and nerve cells. Your hair pigment, oil, and sweat glands may also begin to regenerate unless they have been permanently damaged by the burn.
Treating Complications
If the full thickness of the skin has been destroyed over large areas, it may not grow back properly. However, our burn specialists may be able to use skin grafts to restore some or all of the damaged area.
The healing of large burns may be complicated by many factors. Infection can slow the healing process or even lead to further tissue destruction.
As a wound heals, the edges are drawn together by a process called contracture. If the burn has damaged skin over the neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, or ankles, this tightening of the healing skin can limit or even freeze movement of the affected area.
The healing of large burns may be complicated by many factors. Infection can slow the healing process or even lead to further tissue destruction.
As a wound heals, the edges are drawn together by a process called contracture. If the burn has damaged skin over the neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, or ankles, this tightening of the healing skin can limit or even freeze movement of the affected area.
Treating Scars
If you are worried about reduced range of motion, discomfort, pain, skin discoloration, or other scarring after a burn, our experienced care team can suggest a solution or provide therapies designed to help your healed skin appear as normal as possible.