Skin care of the healed burned patient.

Many complications beset the skin formed over burn wounds, whether by primary re-epithelialization or grafting techniques, and these can evolve over days to decades. Mechanisms by which re-epithelializations, reattachment, and remodeling may result in skin prone to blistering, dryness, itching, contact dermititis, photosensitivity, and hypertrophic changes relatively early in the course of healing are considered, and therapeutic approaches are discussed. Late development of benign and malignant lesions calls for long-term surveillance of the healed skin of burned patients.