Harder to Treat a Burn Scar?

I have a third degree burn on my arm that hasn't really diminished over time like some of my other scars from various cuts, scrapes and surgeries. Does this mean a burn scar is harder to treat than scars caused by other skin trauma?

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3 Doctor Answers | Asked by anon

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Burns vs othe scars

Any deep burn (3rd degree) or abrasion to the skin can penetrate down to the deeper layers where the body's healing response is to shrink the wound and make scar. If you have more of a "cut" in the skin, whether accidental or surgical, the skin edges try to re-unite and the scar is less noticeable. Also, different areas of your body heal differently.

Third degree burn healing

A third degree burn will not heal without hypertrophic scarring in the majority of cases. Usually this requires excision and grafting unless it is a very small area of a few cms wide.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Treating a Third Degree Burn

Classifying burns in degrees enable doctors to predict if a surgical treatment is required. A FIRST degree burn is similar in harshness to a bad sun burn - it will heal but you will be red for a while. A THIRD degree burn is a FULL thickness burn; one in which ALL the skin was damaged into the fat. This means that there is no skin at the bottom of the wound to enable healing and all the healing must take place from the side walls. These burns must be treated with removal of the burn... more