4 plastic surgery alternatives for burns and wounds

The branch of plastic surgery that is generally used for the treatment of burns and other wounds is known as reconstructive plastic surgery. There are numerous surgical methods that fall under this category, which is effectively used to treat these injuries and the related issues that they cause. 

What are medical issues caused by burns and wounds?

Some of the most frequently occurring issues that stem from burns and similar wounds are as follows:

- restriction of mobility

- aesthetic disfigurement and scarring

- loss of sensation in the affected area

The different issues are caused by varying kinds of burns and injuries and, hence, each case must be approached in a different manner for remedy.

Different kinds of plastic surgeries that are used for treatment

Depending on the nature of the injury, your plastic surgeon may opt for any of the following surgical methods for treating the problem.

1. Skin grafting

In this procedure, skin is removed from one part of the body and transplanted to the affected area. This method is used for the treatment of burns. There are two types of this surgical procedure - one removes a few layers from the dermis of the donor area (split-thickness graft) while the other removes the entire dermis (full-thickness graft). Recovery time depends on the kind of procedure used. Skin grafting is occasionally used for breast and nose reconstruction as well.

2. Microsurgery

This type of surgery makes the use of a microscope in reconstructive procedures for working on minuscule veins, arteries, and nerves for repairing damaged areas. Microsurgery is often used alongside other surgical procedures for re-attaching body parts, relieving paralysis of the face and in the reconstruction of breasts.

3. Tissue expansion

This method is used to induce the growth of extra skin on the body that can be used for reconstructive purposes. This is done by inserting a balloon expander underneath the skin that slowly gets filled with saline solution and makes the skin swell. This excess skin is then used for correction or reconstruction of the affected area.

4. Free flap procedure

This procedure involves the transfer of skin, bone, muscle and blood supply from the donor area to the damaged area for repairing purposes. Microsurgery is often performed alongside this treatment method, which is used most frequently for breast reconstruction or after the removal of cancer from the neck or head.

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Related Tip: 6 Quick and Handy Remedies To Treat Burns

4 Surgical Alternatives for Burns and Wounds

Everyone can suffer from pain in the stomach, at one time or the other and we usually ignore it. But when the pain is sudden and severe abdominal pain then it is termed as acute pain and this should not be ignored.

Often the following can be expected with acute pain:

Acute abdomen pain is usually synonymous with rapid onset of the symptoms which might indicate life threatening intra-abdominal pathology.
Pain is just a feature and not necessary that it is present at all times. An acute abdomen which is pain free usually occurs in children and women who are in their third trimester of pregnancy.
The differential diagnosis is difficult and wide especially in primary care. This is because the different organs within their peritoneal cavity might have different areas of referred pains.
Abdominal pain usually happens to be in the top three symptoms when patients present their state in the emergency and accident departments. But only few of these have acute abdominal pain.
Management of the abdominal pain should be the primary focus and an assessment should be done to reach the differential diagnosis so that care can be given accordingly.
The clinical evaluation regarding abdomen pain can change quickly. Any diagnosis which had been made can change and both doctor and patient should not be hesitant and seek other treatment.
Conditions which might cause acute abdomen pain are:

Meckel's diverticulitis or Acute appendicitis
Acute cholecystitis
Ectopic pregnancy
Acute pancreatitis.
Peptic ulcer disease
Diverticulitis.
Intestinal obstruction, including paralytic ileus (adynamic obstruction)
Pelvic inflammatory disease.
Gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage
Gastroenteritis.
Acute intestinal ischaemia/infarction or vasculitis.
Acute urinary retention
Renal colic or renal tract pain
Testicular torsion
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Non surgical diseases like pericarditis, sickle cell crisis, acute intermittent porphyria, HIV-associated lymphadenopathy, bowel disease, typhoid, opiate withdrawal, enteritis, pneumonia, myocardial infarction and hepatitis.
Rare causes might include thromboemboli, phytobezoar, and phytobezoar
Diagnosis of abdominal pains:

Patients can be ordered to get their blood tests done. Also if need be then imaging can also be referred to them.
Following tests can be done to rule out the condition causing the abdominal pain:
Blood Tests: these include FBC, LFTs, glucose, amylase, clotting, calcium and arterial blood gas for pancreatitis
Crossmatch or group and save
Pregnancy test in women of childbearing age
Blood cultures
Peritoneal lavage in case of an abdominal trauma
Urine analysis
X ray of the abdomen, ultrasound, CT scan
ECG and cardiac enzymes
Laparoscopy should be a routine procedure

Don't Ignore the Acute Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain also referred to as stomach ache mainly appears in the pelvic and chest regions. The pain can be dull, crampy, sharp or recurrent. It occurs mainly due to a disease or inflammation that affects the abdominal organs. It is very important to seek the assistance of a doctor, especially if the pain is severe and is associated with pain in the chest and trauma or injury. It is not necessary that the pain in the lower abdomen be a cause of alarm, but it is essential to know the cause of the pain.

Symptoms of Abdominal Pain

Belly ache is not something one should get worried about, but if the pain radiates downwards from the chest it could be a sign of heart attack. If chest pain radiate to left arm or back then think of cardiac and rarely pancreatitis ( especially for radiation to back).
In case the symptom is accompanied by lightheadness or shortness of breath, it is very important that the doctor is contacted immediately.
To avoid serious medical conditions, it is best to avoid pain killers as the symptoms would get hidden and the cause of pain would be difficult to identify.
What are the Main Causes of Abdominal Pain?

The major organs of the abdomen include the stomach, gall bladder, small and large intestines, kidneys, liver, pancreas, appendix and spleen.
Significant abdominal pain is caused mainly due to bacterial, parasitic and viral infections that affect the abdomen.
The abdominal pain could be caused due to inflammation, intestinal disorders and blockages.
The other common reasons that can produce pain in the lower right abdomen include diarrhea, constipation, stress, vomiting, stomach flu, and acid reflux.
In the case of acid reflux the contents of the stomach go back into the esophagus and cause symptoms such as heartburn.
Common Causes of Pain in the Abdominal Region
The most common cause of abdominal pain is constipation, which is caused by difficulty in the digestive tract to push the waste out of the body. Severe pain in the lower abdominal area can rupture the organs and result in appendix. Infection in the kidney or occurrence of stones in the gallbladder can also cause pain in the abdominal region. Pain in the abdomen can also be caused by different types of cancer.

Some of the causes of abdominal pain are life threatening and therefore it is important to consult a doctor if the pain persists or lasts for a few days. It has been observed that even a heart attack can cause pain in the upper abdominal region or even cause back pain. Immediate medical attention should be sought in cases where the patient has fever, severe pain, weight loss, persistent vomiting and nausea, swelling of the abdomen and severe tenderness on touching the abdomen..

Abdominal Pain - When Should You Not Ignore It & Visit A Doctor?

There are mainly three kinds of burns. The degree of burns is determined by the extent of damage that the burn causes. First degree burns are minor while third degree ones are extremely severe. Variety of factors could lead to a burn. They may be chemical, electrical, fire and even sun induced. Boiling or scalding liquids might result in burns as well. The burn type isn t necessarily determined by what causes it. Scalding hot water might cause all the three types of burns; based on the duration of the skin being in contact with the water and how hot the water is. 

Electrical and chemical burns need immediate tending to by a doctor as it might affect the internal body without it being apparent as the damage to the skin is not much. There are also fourth-degree burns. This type of burn includes all of the symptoms of a third-degree burn and also extends beyond the skin into tendons and bones.

First-degree burns: These result in the least skin damage and are also known as  superficial burns  as they only affect the skin s outermost layer. Redness, pain, minor swelling and inflammation are all the symptoms of a first degree burn. As a first degree burn heals, dry skin and peeling takes place. As the skin peels, the symptoms and signs disappear as the burn only manifests on the top most skin layer. It usually takes a week or little more for a first degree burn to heal without any scarring. If the burnt area affects over three inches of skin, or is on the face, then a doctor should be consulted. Home care generally suffices for a first degree burn. Healing time accelerates with rapid treatment of the burn.
Second-degree burns: They are serious as the extent of damage is deeper than the topmost layer of the skin. The skin becomes extremely sore with the formation of red blisters. The blisters might pop open and as time passes, the wound may develop a scab. Proper bandaging is required to reduce chances of an infection. Home remedies should be avoided. The burns usually heal within three weeks.
Third-degree burns: They are the most severe. They extend through each layer of the skin. They might not cause any pain due to the severity of burn as the nerves might get damaged. There might be extreme scarring if corrective surgery isn t done.

Burns - Understanding Its Degrees!

Burning your skin is a very traumatic experience and can leave behind scars that remind one of the traumatic incident. Scarring caused by burns may fade a little with time but are usually permanent. Apart from affecting your appearance severe burns can also affect the functioning of the body. Burns can make a person withdraw socially by making him or her afraid of how people will accept them with their scars as well as make them depressed about their appearance.

Burn repair surgery can be categorised under two headings: Acute and Reconstructive

Acute repair surgery happens immediately after the burn and deals with large burns and deep burns that affect critical areas. The focus here is to aim for saving of life of burn patient with earliest wound healing with various surgical means.
Reconstructive burn surgery addresses the deformities & scars after the initial burn wounds have healed. The goal here is to improve the appearance of the scars and ensure improvement of functioning. 
There are many types of reconstructive surgeries for burns and the type of surgery best suited to a patient is based on the location of the scar, the extent of scarring and the patient s personal goals.

Skin grafts: This involves the removal of healthy skin from one part of the body and transplanting it to the burn site. This split thickness skin graft include only a few outer layers of skin & full thickness graft involve the entire dermis. This is used in cases of deep burns where full thickness of dermis is affected. Also skin grafts are used for defects following release of burn contracture . 
Flaps: These are thick skin tissues with its own blood supply, used to cover exposed vital structures like vessels , tendons, nerves, bones, etc especially in deep electrical burns of extremities. 
Free flap procedure: In this Microvascular Surgery , muscle, bone or skin is transferred from one part of the body to another to reconstruct huge defects after contracture release or for cosmetic improvement of ugly burn scars. 
Tissue expansion: This involves the insertion of a balloon expander under the skin near the burn scars & deformities. As the balloon is filled with saline, the skin stretches and grows. Once the skin has stretched enough, the expander is removed and the skin can then be used to replace the burn scars & deformities.
This procedure has many advantages as the skin colour and texture are a near perfect match thus reducing scarring to a large extent. However, it is a very slow procedure and can take a few months.

Burn Repair Surgery - How Can It Help To Reduce Deformities & Scars?

A chemical burn can occur owing to a number of substances, for instance, if the skin comes in contact with strong acids, bases, irritants, gasoline, paint thinner and drain cleaners then it react with your skin. Chemical burns are also termed as caustic burns. The symptoms usually depend on the intensity of a burn, which include redness, irritation, numbness, pain, the skin turning black and dead or even vision loss, if the chemicals come in contact with the eyes.


What are the Do s and Don ts?
Do away with those chemicals, which have caused the burn or wipe off the dry chemicals. It is safe to use towels or put on gloves for this work.
Remove jewelry or any contaminated clothing to avoid further burning and inflammation of the skin.
Rinse off the affected area immediately with cold water. 
Loosely wrap the area with sterile gauze or a bandage.
If required, you can even opt for pain relievers such as naproxen sodium, ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Consider taking a tetanus injection, but at the same time, ensure that your booster is up-to-date.
Refrain from applying an antibiotic ointment over the burnt area or neutralizing it with an alkali or acid. This may aggravate the burn.


When should you seek an emergency care?
When the person exhibits sign of shock such as shallow breathing, pale complexion or is experiencing bouts of fainting.
When the chemical burn pierces through the upper layer of the skin, occupying an area of above 3 inches in diameter.
When the chemical burn has spread to the buttocks, groin, face, feet, hands, eyes or even the limb.


Chemical Burns - Do's and Don'ts You Must Follow

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