Clinics in plastic surgery
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It has been estimated that 2 million people per year have burns requiring medical attention in the United States. The available and expert clinicians in dedicated burn centers around the country have cared successfully for these patients and given them a second chance at a functional life. It still behooves current-day plastic surgeons to be knowledgeable and adept in their care, not only because they may be called upon at times to manage some of the smaller acute burns, but also because many of the general principles of burn reconstruction and wound management are relevant to other areas of general plastic surgery. ⋯ Physicians should keep in mind the advantages (and disadvantages) of using the scalp and back. As far as research and technological advances in the area of plastic surgery, burn surgery may be the most progressive, with the evolution of biologic tissue-engineered skin substitutes and the research of growth factors in healing. Further improvements in tissue engineering and technology should result in even more effective skin substitutes and hence better functional and aesthetic outcomes with economic efficiency in large burns.