Electric hair straightener burns an epidemiological and thermodynamic study
Introduction
Electrical hair straighteners are an increasingly popular beauty product in the United Kingdom. A single small case series of burns from hair straighteners [1] can be found in the literature, but there is no formal study into the incidence, nature and severity of burns caused by electrical hair straighteners (Fig. 1). An alarming rise in the incidence of these burns at this regional burn centre led to this formal epidemiologic and thermodynamic study. The Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery is a regional burns unit covering a population of 2.2 million and seeing approximately 850 new patients per year, including 325 paediatric cases.
Section snippets
Method
The electronic database at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery was searched for burns caused by contact with electrical hair straighteners over a 2-year 8-month period, between January 2003 and August 2006. Case notes were analysed and a questionnaire was sent to patients if the information was incomplete. Data was collected on patient demographics, circumstance, site, severity, and outcome of the burn. The database was also searched back to 1996 for burns caused by any electrical
Epidemiology
Thirty-one cases were identified over the 32-month period, 1.4% of the total admissions for that period. The incidence is rising and presently stands at over one new case per month. These burns seem to be a modern phenomenon with no hair straightener burns noted prior to 2003 (Fig. 2). Prior to 2003 there were a small number of burns from hair beauty appliances, predominantly curling tongs, however the rapid rise noted is solely due to the increase in electrical hair straighteners burns.
The
Clinical examples
Please see Figs. 7 and 8, Figs. 9 and 10.
Conclusions
Electrical hair straighteners are a common, preventable cause of contact burns, previously unreported in burn literature. The incidence presenting to our institution is rising and is a modern phenomenon with no cases recorded prior to 2003. The burns are predominantly in young children on their hands and feet. Although the majority are partial thickness burns requiring conservative management, burns to children under five and burns to hands or feet are both categories noted in the guidelines
Conflict of interest
None.
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