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3 HB OPINION ember 15, 2022 | & PROTECT YOURSELF 3 FROM INJURY AND KNOW © WHAT TO DO WHEN ONE ¥ OCCURS, WRITES DR. JESSICA SHIH Many people are surprised to learn that plastic surgeons take wounds. Throughout my many years of training and practice as a plastic surgeon, the holiday season has always been bittersweet for me. i rish the time with family anc friends, but also know that with all of the distractions and stress- es that come during this time of year, so too do the burn acci- dents. The ringing of my pager (yes, we still use those in health care) brings about feelings of dread as so frequently these burnsare ter- le tragedies, and nearly all of them avoidable. So what should you do when this happens? DR. JESSICA SHIH Column The first step is to do our best to avoid accidents in the first place; this includes keeping hot drinks away from tableedges and well out of reach | of small chil- dren, using pro) oven mitts when cooking with an oven, and being extra careful when cook- ing with hot oil as these burns often the most severe. Still, accidents do happen — so what do you do when a burn happens? If you or a loved one sustain a burn, run the area under cool running water (not cold) for afull 20 minutes. This has been shown. to improve healing and scarring outcomes. It is important that you do not apply ice, toothpaste, butter or creams to the burned rea. After cooling, see if there are Visible signs of a deeper burn s professional help. Ths “includes blistering, skin breakage or loss of the outside layer of skin, Giscoioration of the wound including dee} Any signs of infection includ. ing redness, increased swelling or discharge also war rants immediate medical atten- sent, cover the wouns clean gauze or towel and seek im- mediate medical attention. noting that the depth ‘of ‘the tase may not fully reveal itself for several days. If there ness to the skin, but it is not broken or blistered within the first several days, the burn is likely first degree or reasonably superficial. These burns typically within a week, and the area can be soothed with aloe vera or pe- troleum jelly. BURNS ALL T00 COMMON THIS TIME OF YEAR : "If you or a loved one sustain a burn, run the area under cool running water (not cold) for a full 20 minutes." If the area begins to blister the burn is at least second degré for which you should seek med. ical attention. These burns re- quire appropriate dressings, es- pecially once the blisters are bro- ken, to avoid infection and allow for optimal healing. Do not at- tempt to break the blisters your- Hf. 2 6, Once assessed by a medical practitioner, the best way to keep these wounds clean is to wash them with basic soap and run- ning water, apply an antimicro- bial dressing, ointment, or cream as prescribed by your doctor and cover with clean gauze. Superfi- cial second degree or partial thickness burns generally heal within one to three weeks with minimal scarring, but can also lead to pigmentation changes in the skin. Deeper burns that do not heal within three weeks may require further intervention suchas skin grafting, whichis why itis impor- tant to seek medical attention right away to ensure your burnis appropriately treated. ou are unsure about thena- ire of a burn, do not hesitate to seek medical help. With a few preventive mea- sures, you can help reduce the risk of burns this holiday season. From my family to yours, we wish you very happy holidays and new year. Dr. Jessica Shih is a double board-certified plastic and recon- structive surgeon with the Royal College of Physicians and Sur- geons of Canada, and the Amer- ican Board of Plastic Surgery. She can be reached at drshih@burlingtonplasticsur- gery.ca. insidehalton.com 282 Kerr Street THE Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes € more! (905) 582-0862 www.thesweetestthing.com THING