Treating a First- and Second-Degree Steam Burn on the Wrist

Steam scalded this patient's wrist, causing a first- and second-degree burn. At the first visit the skin over the burn was red and inflamed; the blister at its centre had been deroofed, leaving a moist, tender surface underneath. With staged dressing and care the inflammation settled and new skin formed over the burned area. By the third visit the surface had dried, the superficial layers were flaking away, and only a faint mark of the burn remained. The photographs here are from the first visit and the third.