Burn Care

Shriners Children’s offers burn care at hospitals and clinics in the United States and Mexico.

• Shriners Children’s Boston
• Shriners Children’s Northern California
• Shriners Children’s Ohio
• Shriners Children’s Texas

* The following locations provide limited services. We recommend calling ahead to verify available care before your visit.

• Shriners Children's Southern California
• Shriners Children’s Mexico
• Shriners Children’s Monterrey Clinic
• Shriners Children's Tijuana Clinic

Superficial Burns

Superficial burns, also known as first-degree burns, affect only the epidermal (outer) layer of skin. No blisters form, but the burned areas are painful. Burns of this type usually heal in a few days without scarring.

Superficial Second-Degree Burns

Superficial, partial thickness burns affect the top two layers of skin, and these burns often form blisters. Beneath the blister, the wounds are pink, moist and typically painful. Superficial second-degree burns generally heal in 10 to 14 days with mild to moderate scarring. A second-degree burn care plan will be developed for your child.

Deep Second-Degree Burns

Deep, partial thickness burns go further into the skin and involve the epidermal and deeper dermal layers of the skin. Deep second-degree burns can have a significant risk of infection and take longer to heal, often around three weeks. Scarring for these wounds can be severe.

Third-Degree Burns

Full thickness burns, or third-degree burns, go through the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin and into the underlying tissue. These burns often appear dry and leathery and result in very severe scarring. A third-degree burn care plan will be developed for your child.

Fourth-Degree Burns

The most severe and potentially life-threatening burn is a fourth-degree burn. Fourth-degree burns are the highest degree of burn. They affect all layers of the skin, muscles, tendons and even bone.

If your child has experienced a burn injury, a pediatric burn care specialist can evaluate the severity and recommend next steps. Burn injuries can vary widely and may require specialized care depending on the type and extent. Early evaluation helps guide the most appropriate treatment plan.

Shriners Children’s is recognized for its advanced, research-driven approach to pediatric burn care. Shriners Children's locations providing burn care are accredited by the American Burn Association (ABA) as verified pediatric burn centers, and our international healthcare system even offers groundbreaking regenerative tissue treatment for children with burn injuries. Our teams have contributed to many other advancements in burn treatment and recovery, and care is designed to support each child’s physical and emotional healing.

Survival rates for people with burn injuries have improved dramatically in the past 50 years. Shriners Children’s physicians and researchers are primarily responsible for many of the advances in pediatric burn care that are now the standard of care worldwide, and we continue to lead the community in pediatric burn care research.

Current pediatric burn care research at Shriners Children’s includes:

• Advances in critical care and metabolic management in severely burned children
• Development and use of skin substitutes in wound management and scar mitigation
• Pioneering techniques in burn scar reconstruction including laser scar resurfacing
• Research into PTSD and the emotional effects of injury in children
• Rehabilitation of children with burns

Your child’s comprehensive, individualized treatment may require a plan to treat existing scars and prevent the formation of new ones. Your care team may discuss some of the following options with you.

Surgical Reconstruction

Surgical reconstruction can help a child’s ability to function and/or improve the appearance of an area that’s been burned. Our physicians will determine the appropriate surgical option for your child based on the type and severity of the burn, carefully assessing your child to determine the right path.

Common Surgical Options for Treating Burns in Children

• Reconstructive surgery
• Plastic surgery
• Skin grafting
• Tissue expanders
• Tissue transfers or flaps
• Laser treatment

Custom Pediatric Burn Care Compression Garments

Compression therapy can significantly flatten scars and improve their appearance. Each custom garment is tailored to the child to apply the right amount of pressure. Custom garments are generally recommended for burns that required a skin graft or will take longer than 20 days to heal. If custom garments aren't necessary, we may recommend home treatments like massaging a wound, skin graft or scar, which can help soften and flatten scar tissue.

Occupational and/or Physical Therapy

Physical therapy or occupational therapy can help a burn heal when it impacts a child's ability to perform daily tasks or do the things they enjoy, whether that's running with their friends, holding a book or sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Care Management and Child Life

• Psychological services
• Nutrition
• Social services
• Child life
• Return to school support
• Makeup clinic

Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services

Shriners Children’s Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) departments custom design, manufacture and fit compression garments and appliances, such as clear face masks, to minimize your child’s burn scarring right on site. In most cases, everything you need can be done without leaving our hospital or clinic. Our teams can also educate patients and families about at-home burn care and first aid.

Not all burn injuries require surgery. Some burns can be treated with wound care and other non-surgical approaches. Surgical care may be recommended depending on the severity and healing process.

Treatment focuses on helping children heal, regain function and minimize scarring. Care teams also work to support a child’s return to daily activities. The goal is to provide both physical and emotional recovery.

Burn care teams may include surgeons, nurses, therapists and other specialists who work together to support recovery. Services can include physical therapy, occupational therapy and psychological support. Care is designed to address the child’s overall needs.

Our pediatric burn care teams include some of the world's finest pediatric burn care specialists, most of whom have been treating children for decades. Many of our burn care specialists have been honored for their outstanding work in pediatric burn care.

These individuals happily share their knowledge to improve burn care around the world. This includes training hundreds of emerging physicians through on-site fellowships, participation in burn summits, conferences, academic lectures and authoring numerous publications and textbooks on pediatric burn care. In fact, the premier textbooks on pediatric burn care were authored by specialists from Shriners Children’s.

Families receive comprehensive support throughout the healing process, including education, emotional support and care coordination. Services are designed to help both the child and family navigate recovery. Care teams remain involved throughout treatment and rehabilitation.

Care begins with an evaluation and continues through treatment and rehabilitation as needed. Many services are provided in one location for convenience. The care team supports your child from initial treatment through recovery.

Understanding Your Child’s Burn Care Appointments

Start by gathering any medical records and documents and anything else that could be important for our healthcare team to better understand what happened. This can include:

• A list of your child’s current medications
• Your child’s primary care and referring physicians' names, addresses, and phone and fax numbers
• Clothing that will allow the care team to look closely at your child’s burn

Your Child’s First Burn Care Appointment

To create the right treatment plan for your child’s burn injury, we’ll explore the burn in detail, while asking you and your child questions to better understand how it happened and what’s been done since then. Our specialists may need to touch the burn and take measurements; they know how to be extremely gentle and safe when they interact with a child who’s been burned.

The Follow-up

Children are not “little adults.” The care plan we develop is customized to meet your child’s specific needs, taking into account their age and development, as well as the extent of the burn injury. For example, a second-degree burn care plan and a third-degree burn care plan may have similar components, but will be tailored to meet the specific needs of each child. Any follow-up appointments for treatment, which could include wound care, scar management and inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation – physical, occupational and speech therapy, psychological support, etc. – are included in that plan. We may need to adjust your child's treatment plan as they begin to heal, physically and emotionally. Our clinicians will also educate you about burn care first aid and burn care at home as your child heals.