Caring for Your Child After a Burn Injury

Everyone’s skin heals in its own way and can take up to 2 years to fully heal. It’s important to care for your child’s skin each day to help keep it moisturized and flexible.

Taking care of your child’s skin each day will also help you look for changes in how their skin moves and feels over time. If your child forms a scar that is uncomfortable, raised, firm, or limits their motion, contact the burn clinic.

Daily Care

• Each day wash the healed burn with mild soap and water, then pat dry.
• Fragrance-free lotion and oils can be used to moisturize and soften the scar. Examples include Aquaphor^®, Eucerin^®, and cocoa butter. Apply moisturizer to the burned areas at least 3 to 5 times each day.
• If you met with a burn therapist in the clinic, keep doing the stretches and movement exercises until your child can fully move on their own without pain.

Sun Protection and Activity

Areas of burned skin are more sensitive to sun rays. It is important to cover those areas when going outside to avoid sunburn and more skin damage.

• Your child can take part in their usual activities at home and school.
• A sunscreen of SPF 30 or more should be used on all healed burned areas. Cream sunscreens can be less drying than sprays for areas of healed burns. When you can, have your child play outdoors before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. to decrease the chance of sunburn.
• Change out of all wet clothing right after you are done with water play. Water on the skin for a long time can make the skin more easily damaged by the sun’s rays.

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