Following a severe burn injury where the outer layer and part of the dermis is destroyed, you may be told to wear a pressure garment to prevent and control excess scar formation, and ensure a smooth and flat healing of the skin surface. Undamaged skin is...
Call them what you will – electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes or ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems) they are battery-operated devices designed to deliver nicotine with a variety of flavorings and other chemicals to users in vapor instead of smoke. Now a $2.2 billion industry, e--cigarette use...
Burns are a global public health problem, accounting for an estimated 265,000 deaths annually. In the United States, burn injuries are second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. The majority of these burns occur in...
Fourth degree burns are the most serious, insidious, and life-threatening of all burns. In order to understand their complexities, we must first understand the structure of each layer of skin. It is also important to know how all burns are classified - both by the...
Not surprisingly, infection is the most common complication and leading cause of death in burn victims. Weighing a scant six pounds, 20 square feet of skin covers the average human body. Skin is one of the body’s largest, heaviest, and most hard-working organs. It is...
Body image is a subjective, complex concept involving many different perceptions. These assessments include: how you see yourself; how you feel about various aspects of your body (weight and shape for example); how you compare yourself to others; and how you think others see you....
The celebration of love and romance on Valentine’s Day, every February 14, may be the only occasion most people celebrate in the second month of the new year. In many parts of the world, February is the longest, coldest, and hardest month of the year...
The tired cliché, “timing is everything in life” holds true for everyone in any situation. How and when the burn survivor should return to work is a major decision, and not one to be made solo or taken lightly. The familiar lament that “we spend...
After a burn injury, the survivor experiences a lot of loss on all levels of daily life he or she formerly took for granted. One of those is the loss of anonymity when going out in public to quickly run some routine errands such as...
The ancient art of storytelling is a lifeline in this challenging era of massive geopolitical upheaval. Hard to believe that this revered tool partnered contemporary social media, would be a vital means of cultural preservation to dwindling indigenous populations and global diasporas, struggling the keep...
