Wound Care Question - Question about burn on scar tissue

popcorn · 09-06-2014, 03:36 AM

Hello wise community,

This is somewhat graphic but NOT SI-related.

So-- I have scar tissue on my forearm from previous self-injury burns. I have not self-injured in several years now (yay, knock wood and whatever else), but today I was ironing (something I *rarely* do), and accidentally got a small burn on my forearm, on top of an area where I have some scar tissue (flat, well-healed) and it was weird, and I wanted to write and see if anyone else had had experiences with this.

I think that there may have been some loss of sensation in the scar tissue area, because I don't think that I felt the burn right away (you know how usually if you touch something hot by accident your reflexes jerk you away from it super fast), so when I felt this brief sharp pain, I moved my arm and looked and there was a little white mark. Then later I noticed that a blister had formed. And normally those are quite painful, but I don't really feel this. It hurts differently (like a little bit deeper down) and is weirding me out.

Is a burn that you get on top of scar tissue (from a burn, if that matters) different from a burn that you get on un-scarred skin? Does it require any special/different treatment? And have others had this experience?

It feels so weird... to have this burn that doesn't really hurt, and to have an accidental burn on an area where, during a really bad period in my life, I was repeatedly hurting myself. I don't know why I'm having this strong reaction, but here I am.

Thanks for listening.

Animad · 09-06-2014, 08:02 AM

Scar tissue often has a lack of or very few nerve fibres in it. Over time they do increase but it's not got all the different receptors that detect pain like the skin does and so sensation is dramatically reduced in scar tissue, hense you not being able to feel the burn properly. So the burn is the same as any other burn (though may take longer to heal) and needs treating in the same way. However, they fact that it was white concerns me. Is it just the surrounding area that has blistered or the whole of the burn? The reason why I ask is that full thickness (aka 3rd degree) burns are white (though sometimes black) and look and feel leathery to touch but are also numb though the surrounding area is usually a partial thickness (2nd degree) burn which is usually painful and blisters.

I haven't got any personal experience of me having something like this though so I can't help in that way, sorry.

It may also help for you to take a look in the wound care guide and the burns FAQ so that you know how to look after it and hopefully reduce the risk of it becoming infected. One thing I will say is however tempting it gets, try not to burst the blisters and cover it in a non-adherent padded wound dressing to help reduce the risk of it burst.