Acute Burn Care in Pune: First Aid, Dressings and Skin Grafts

What is an acute burn?

A burn is damage to the skin, and sometimes deeper tissues, from heat (flames, hot liquids, hot surfaces), electricity, chemicals, friction or radiation. Scalds from hot water, tea and cooking oil are common, especially in children, and kitchen fires are a frequent cause of burns at home.

Treatment depends on the size, depth and site of the burn, the person’s age and health, and whether other injuries, such as smoke inhalation, are present.

How deep is the burn?

Depth	What it looks like	Usual healing
Superficial (epidermal)	Red, painful, no blisters, like sunburn	Within about a week, without scarring
Superficial partial thickness	Blisters, moist pink base, very painful	Usually within about 2 weeks
Deep partial thickness	Blotchy red or pale, less painful	Often more than 3 weeks; grafting often advised
Full thickness	White, brown, black or leathery; numb	Needs surgery and grafting, except very small areas

Burns that take longer than about three weeks to heal have a higher risk of thick (hypertrophic) scars and contractures.

Who needs specialist care, and how is a burn assessed?

The doctor estimates the size of the burn as a percentage of the body surface, judges its depth, and checks for burns to the face, airway, hands, feet, joints and genitals. Large burns need intravenous fluids and care in a hospital or burns unit. Smaller burns can often be managed as outpatients with regular dressings.

What are the treatment options?

Treatment	Suits	Points to consider
Cleaning and dressings	Superficial and small partial-thickness burns	Regular dressing changes and review
Blister care	Partial-thickness burns	Assessed and dressed by professionals
Early excision and skin grafting	Deep and full-thickness burns	Faster healing; less scarring than waiting
Escharotomy	Tight, deep burns around a limb or chest	Emergency release of burned skin to restore circulation or breathing
Splinting and physiotherapy	Burns over joints and hands	Prevents stiffness and contractures
Scar prevention	Any burn that takes longer to heal	Moisturising, silicone, massage, pressure garments

Grafting techniques are explained under skin grafting surgery.

How is a deep burn treated surgically?

1. Stabilisation: fluids, pain relief and infection prevention.
2. Excision: dead burned skin is removed in theatre, usually within the first days to weeks.
3. Coverage: the clean area is covered with a split-thickness skin graft; very large burns may need temporary covers first.
4. Splinting: grafts over joints are splinted in a stretched position.
5. Rehabilitation: physiotherapy and scar care begin as soon as the grafts are stable.

How should you prepare, and what should you ask?

• Bring details of how and when the burn happened.
• Tell the team about tetanus vaccination and medical conditions.
• Take pain relief before dressing changes if advised.

Questions to ask:

• How deep is the burn, and will it heal on its own?
• Will I need a skin graft?
• How often do the dressings need changing?
• What can I do to reduce scarring?

What is recovery like?

Time	What to expect for most patients
Days 1-3	Pain control; dressings; burn depth becomes clearer
Weeks 1-2	Superficial burns heal; decision on surgery for deeper burns
Weeks 2-4	Grafts take and donor sites heal; splints and exercises
Months 1-18	Scar care; pressure garments if advised; follow-up for contractures

What are the risks?

• Infection of the burn or graft.
• Graft loss, needing further grafting.
• Hypertrophic scars and contractures, especially over joints.
• Itching, dryness and colour change of healed skin.
• Emotional effects, including anxiety and changes in body image.

Seek prompt care for fever, increasing pain, a bad smell, pus or spreading redness around a burn.

What results can you expect?

Small, shallow burns usually heal well with good dressings. Deep burns heal faster and with less scarring when treated early with excision and grafting, followed by splinting and scar care. Long-term follow-up helps catch tightening scars early.

What affects the cost of acute burn care in Pune?

• Size and depth of the burn.
• Dressings: number and type of dressing changes.
• Surgery: excision, grafting and any repeat procedures.
• Hospital stay, physiotherapy and pressure garments.

Burn treatment is medical care and is often covered by health or accident insurance, subject to your policy.