Healing a burn - what's best?
July 17, 2012 11:00 PM Subscribe
How effective is laser treatment for burns? When should it be done?
My girlfriend got a fairly large 2nd-degree burn on her leg in early February. For the most part, the color is coming back pretty normally, but there's one spot about the size of a 50-cent piece that's very discolored and light (she's Filipina and has a somewhat darker skin tone).
I want to help her heal as much as possible, and she's interested in laser treatments. We saw a doctor about it, but he worked for the same group that does the treatments and didn't really ask any questions at all -- just said, "yeah, you should do this right away." I'm a bit skeptical, especially considering how much better the rest of the burn looks compared to even two months ago.
So -- is laser treatment a good option, and if so, when should it be done to promote the best healing/ return to "normal" skin coloring?
My girlfriend got a fairly large 2nd-degree burn on her leg in early February. For the most part, the color is coming back pretty normally, but there's one spot about the size of a 50-cent piece that's very discolored and light (she's Filipina and has a somewhat darker skin tone).
I want to help her heal as much as possible, and she's interested in laser treatments. We saw a doctor about it, but he worked for the same group that does the treatments and didn't really ask any questions at all -- just said, "yeah, you should do this right away." I'm a bit skeptical, especially considering how much better the rest of the burn looks compared to even two months ago.
So -- is laser treatment a good option, and if so, when should it be done to promote the best healing/ return to "normal" skin coloring?
I seem to recall that the scars take quite a bit of time to fully "stabilize" -- until that happens, you might treat it for appearance, only to have it continue to change and thus ruining the cosmetic treatment.
posted by eriko at 7:33 AM on July 18, 2012
posted by eriko at 7:33 AM on July 18, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Just published scientific study results
More general article on types of burns that have best results from lasers, alternative treatments, etc.
If you have questions/concerns, you should ask the doctor about them before committing to this course of treatment. Write down what you want to discuss on a piece of paper beforehand if you tend to forget in the moment what your concerns are. If you don't trust this doctor, get a second opinion from a medical professional who can assess your girlfriend's specific history and scar.
posted by vegartanipla at 11:47 PM on July 17, 2012