After the Temple Burn at last years Burning Man (2004), I obtained 3rd degree burns on a few of my fingers. After removing the dead and burnt skin, I was left with only a microscopically thin layer (only 1 skin cell thick!) covering 2 of my finger's bones. If you tapped on it, it felt as if you were tapping directly on exposed bone!

This year I returned from Burning Man unscathed, but apparently a few of my friends weren't as lucky. I've received inquires as to how I managed to heal my fingers without any scaring last year. I'm posting this for them, and for anyone else who may find it useful.

There may or may not be better ways to heal from burns. This is merely what I did, and I challenge you to guess which 2 of my 10 fingers have a completely new layer of skin on them. No one has yet to have guessed correctly, because there is absolutely NO visible evidence of scaring whatsoever!

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Vatra's prescription for bad burns WITH broken skin:

Remove the loose broken and burnt layer(s) of skin. Gently rinse away any debris and then apply "New Chapter's" 100% True Tamanu *OIL* (Whole Foods) over the newly exposed skin. Then apply a generous layer of "Silvadene Cream 1%" aka Silver Sulfadiazine (sorry, prescription only) over the Tamanu Oil.

After ensuring both of these ingredients are thoroughly coated over the newly exposed and moist under-layers of the skin, completely cover with a Non-Adherent Dressing (perforated film-coated gauze pad type) and then wrap with Bandages to keep the new skin moist and protected while healing.

"New Chapter's" Tamanu Oil is all-natural and comes from the Tamanu Trees of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. It promotes new skin cell growth at an alarming rate, but the new skin cell formations are extremely delicate and they hover precariously on the surface of the newly exposed and moist under-layers of the skin. Great care must be taken not to disturb this new skin growth. The Silvadene, Non-Adherent Dressing and Bandages help to protect these new skin formations while keeping the wound moist which is essential for proper healing and minimized scaring.

For the best possible results, this process must be repeated every 24 hours or sooner if the Dressing's integrity is compromised in any way. Take great care while removing and replacing the Non-Adherent Dressing as to not disturb the new skin cell formations because they are *extraordinarily* vulnerable at this time. Check for broken and burnt layer(s) of skin that may have loosened since the last Dressing application and remove them. Scarring should only happen if you get lazy and allow the new skin to oxidize and dry out under neglected Dressings which can happen at any moment during the healing process.
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Vatra's prescription for mild burns WITHOUT broken skin:

If your skin is red and/or blistered, but NOT broken, I recommend leaving it alone (DON'T puncture the blisters or remove the dead skin). Apply "New Chapter's" True Tamanu *CREME* (Whole Foods) topically over the effected area.

Depending on the severity of the burn and how diligent you are about keeping it moist with the Tamanu Creme, the burnt skin may eventually begin to dry out and flake off and the blisters may eventually pop and do the same. If that happens, at that point you may choose to follow the "prescription for bad burns WITH broken skin" listed above. However, it will only make a dramatic improvement on your healing process and potential scaring if you begin the regimen when the newly exposed under layers of skin are still *moist*.
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I would like to find an all-natural, non-Western replacement for Silvadene because although the active beneficial ingredient (Silver Sulfadiazine) is suspended in a hydrophilic (water washable) base, it's also accompanied by potentially undesirable ingredients such as petroleum and various alcohol derivatives.

There are alternatives if you're not able to obtain a prescription for Silvadene, or if you prefer to take a more wholistic approach and not use Silvadene because of the other questionable ingredients I previously mentioned. The desire for a wholistic path led me to the Tamanu Oil in the first place, and that's one of the reasons I recommend it as the first layer between the new skin and the Silvadene. Please reply and post any alternatives to Silvadene you may be aware of.

If you do substitute the Silvadene for something else, make sure it's with something that will provide a thick hydrating barrier between the new skin and Non-Adherent Dressing because Tamanu Oil alone is not enough. I believe the real key is to prevent the new skin from oxidizing and drying out at any time during the healing process. That's the most important factor in effective healing and avoiding scars.

burn bright,
love, laughter & light...
~Vatra~
tribes.tribe.net/pyronauts