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Burns & Scars
Approximately 2 million people in the U.S. and Canada are treated for burns each year. Treatment of a burn of the second and third degree usually occurs in an emergency room or burn treatment center. The Face Brace is a healing pressure face mask for severe burn and scar victims.
2nd Degree	Partial thickness burns cause blisters, redness of skin, wet and shiny skin, pain, and the discoloration of skin. This type of burn damages the epidermis and part of the underlying dermis. These usually heal with cleaning and bandaging; but if in a sensitive area, such as the face, they may benefit from the use of cellular wound dressings. The Face Brace can help.
3rd Degree	Full-thickness burns completely damage both the epidermis and the dermis, and may even destroy the underlying flesh and bones. The body has no healthy cells to regenerate. These burns require surgery to replace damaged skin with healthy skin, a process known as grafting. If these burns are not treated, the body attempts to close them by forming scar tissue that contracts over time, leading to disfigurement and loss of motion in nearby joints. Treatment will usually occur in a specialized burn care facility (e.g., Harborview Medical Center in Seattle).
Treatment usually centers around: Debridement, which works by the removal of dead tissue surgically under full anesthesia. Skin Grafting, which works through the surgical removal of some of the patient's unburnt skin, which is transferred to a burnt area of the skin. After a graft, the graft area is kept still, and protected from rubbing and pressure. Wherever the edges of grafting appear, a scar is the result. Some grafting will appear piecemeal, like a quilt. The area (the donor site) that the graft was taken from will heal normally. Now there is a third option. The Face Brace can be used before and after skin grafting and help provide pressure and massaging to reduce scarring.
	Badly burned 8 years ago, John's entire face has been reconstructed with grafts from skin taken from his chest, back and legs. The difficulty with such grafts is that they can shrink and harden over time and require additional surgery.
While burned skin is in the process of healing, it is fragile and prone to blistering. Close fitting clothes/mask are important to prevent skin breakdown. The skin tends to be dry and itch if not kept moist. Face Brace will resolve these problems.