Scar Management Following Burn Injury

At the 2016 State of the Science meeting, clinicians and burn survivors met to discuss the advances in scar prevention, evaluation and treatment. While emerging evidence exists to support pressure garment treatment of scars and the use of silicone gel, further research is necessary to better delineate indications duration and efficacy of established therapies and to develop and test badly needed new treatments. More accurate and objective assessment of burn depth would assist in the prevention and identification of wounds requiring customized surgery. Laser treatment of scar while rapidly gaining popularity, still lacks high quality evidence as to its efficacy. The psychological impact of burn scars on the recovering patient is poorly appreciated and increased interaction with our patients is needed to more fully understand and address the impact on health related quality of life of their burn scars.