Taking Care of your Burn at Home

After a burn injury, there are things that you can do at home to help you have the best recovery.

Stretching

Scars from burns and donor sites naturally want to shrink and become shorter. It is important to do your exercises and stretches to keep or gain back the length of your skin. Complete each exercise 4 times a day for 10 repetitions.  Scars tend to “tighten” overnight or after being in one position for a length of time. You may benefit from stretching prior to getting out of bed. Make sure to stretch during dressing changes at home/in the clinic when your bandages are off.  

Moisturize

Burns can damage the oil glands that normally keep skin from getting too dry.  Once you are cleared by your burn providers, you should apply lotion to healed skin and donor sites four times a day. Apply more often if your skin feels dry or itchy. Rub the lotion in well. Too much lotion can clog pores and cause breakdown. Avoid lotions with alcohol, perfumes, or Vaseline. Lotions such as Aveeno and Eucerin have been preferred by our patients, but any fragrance-free lotion should work. Once an area of skin has healed, discontinue the use of topical antibiotic medication on that area.  If you continue to apply medication it may cause skin irritation and possible breakdown of the newly healed areas. 

Scar Massage

Once the burn providers say you can put lotion on your skin, you can start scar massage. Scar massage involves rubbing and moving the skin and underlying tissue in a firm manner. It helps to soften and flatten the scar. Apply firm pressure in 3 directions on the burn – side to side, up and down, and in a circular pattern. Massage with lotion for 3-5 minutes on each scar, 2-3 times a day. 

Compression

Compression is used to decrease swelling, protect fragile skin, align collagen to keep scar tissue flat, and decrease pain. When you are healed, your skin still needs the extra support due to your new skin being thin and fragile.  Blisters can occur on your newly healed burns and donor sites if you do not have enough compression in place. It is important that you wear the compression for 23 hours a day. Scar tissue does not take a break when you want a break from wearing the compression. The compression is to be removed for bathing, putting on lotion and during scar massage, but put back on when done.  

Blisters

Blisters are very common for 4-6 weeks after wounds close due to the skin being fragile.  They can happen from not having tight enough compression, from a shearing or rubbing force, or from simply bumping or hitting the scar.  If a blister forms, you should leave it intact. Call the burn and wound clinic if a large blister forms for how to take care of it.
Itching

Itching is a common part of the healing process. Do not scratch! Scratching can cause skin breakdown, open wounds, and infection.  You may need to apply lotion more often to prevent itching.  Wearing adequate compression may also help manage itching. Make sure your shampoo, conditioner, soap and laundry detergent are unscented. If itching continues after trying these methods, ask your burn provider if there is an oral or topical medication that you can take to control the itching.

Skin Sensitivity

After a burn injury you may be more sensitive to hot or cold temperatures, and you may have hot and cold flashes. This is due to the body having difficulty regulating its temperature due to lack of sweat from damaged sweat glands. Your skin can also be more sensitive to touch which may require additional scar massage to “desensitize” the area. Touch is important to teach the new nerves what is normal. You may need to frequently perform scar massage to decrease the sensitivity. 

Sun Precautions

Newly healed skin will be more sensitive to the sun for a year or more. The new skin is at risk to burn much faster and blister easily. If newly healed skin gets burned or tanned, it will often lead to a permanent change in the color of the skin. Typically, the sun burned or tanned skin will scar darker. It is important to wear sunscreen and/or UPF clothing. Pressure garments and clothes only block 40% of the sun, so do not just rely on clothing. Make sure you wear sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and reapply every two hours. A wide brim hat (at least 3” or wider) is important to have if you had a burn on your face. A baseball hat will not be enough to cover your face. If the back of your neck was burned, consider buying a hat with a neck flap.

For more education about burns, check out Burn Model Systems: msktc.org/about-model-systems/burn