RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURE: Burn Surgery

Most burn victims usually want the same things: for the burns to heal or go away, and to have freedom from pain and scars. In essence, they want to have their old life and their old self back to normal again. Reconstructive burn surgery can be the beginning of the recovery process.

For a relatively minor burn injury with minimal scars, recovery is inevitable. However, for more serious and severe burns, restoration may be painfully slow. It can turn a person’s world upside down. Whether the burn involves face, hands, or distorts the body, the immediate effect may be devastating to the newly burned person. In patients with greater than 30% total-body surface area burns, full recovery can take at least two years.

The reconstructive burn surgery restoration process is comprised of three elements: recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation, with each process being distinct and unique.

Recovery means to return to original form. Typically, we recover from physical injuries, but this term may also indicate emotional recovery. Many burn victims also struggle with recovery from posttraumatic stress syndrome.

Reconstruction means to rebuild, but not necessarily to the exact previous form, as reconstruction has its inherent limitations. Reconstruction can return both form and function, and provides hope to the healing burn patient. With burn wounds, some tissues heal, some tissue is lost or replaced, and some tissue is irreparably damaged and endured.

Rehabilitation is the process of restoring normal function. It involves physical therapy, occupational therapy, and sometime personal counseling and therapy. It is the process of making you whole again after experiencing the trauma of a burn.

The timing of reconstructive burn surgery varies from patient to patient, depending upon need and stage of healing. In reality, reconstructive burn surgery has already begun during treatment and surgery for the initial burn injury. All burn surgeons operate with the foresight of an attainable goal in the final post-burn form.

A patient who wants all burn scars removed, just like in the Hollywood movies, typifies the patient fallacy. Those expectations are unrealistic given our current technologies. It is an inflated expectation of what is possible with reconstructive surgery. If expectations are not realistic, any reconstructive effort is doomed to fail. Physical problems can occur, such as infections, blood clots, or wound breakdown.

The reconstructive burn surgery does not end until the patient has recovered. The reconstructive burn surgery process affects more than the physical form, also affecting the psychological side of a person. Many believe that the mental and emotional damage is greater than the physical scarring in most severely injured burn victims. Recovery from the intangible effects of the burn is the key to restoration following burn injury.

Reconstructive burn surgery, both physically and mentally, helps with healing of the tangible and intangible effects in burned people. The reconstructive process assists the recovery process and the rehabilitation of a burn victim. The greatest quality of reconstructive burn surgery is assisting in the restoration of burned people through positive reinforcement, care, and hope.

A personal consultation is the first step for every patient considering burn surgery. During this meeting, Dr. Almonte will assess your physical and emotional health and discuss your specific cosmetic goals for the procedure.

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EL DORADO HILLS PLASTIC SURGERY CENTER
Dr. Arnold Almonte, D.O.

(916) 941-1556

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