Unusual ritual burns of the hand

Six hands from five patients were seen with full-thickness burns following a ritual practice between June 1993 and June 1994. Three hands were treated with excision and medium-thickness split-skin grafts, one patient was treated with a medium-thickness split skin graft taken from the instep of the foot. The first patient with bilateral burns of the palms refused surgery and returned 3 months later with contractures of the palms. The results of the treated hands are presented.