UPDATE : African American 2nd Degree Burns (Large) FULLY HEALED w/ Pictures

*Trigger warning in case you need it, I got a few photos at the end to show how my burns started * I’m also not a doctor, obviously. I’m just black and broke- chill on me LOL.

TLDR : I burned myself in a new state, without health insurance. Initially burned 09/22/2024 and continued like normal by the time I made my initial reddit post on here (about 2-3 weeks after). On that post I talk more about what I did to maximize healing.

The gist on that post, with pictures, was keeping the wound wet, using generous amounts of Neosporin alongside frequent clean bandage changes AND keeping every bandage change as “sterile” as I can to avoid my wound getting infected from anything “contaminated” coming in contact with it.

Longer Story : Since I already have an initial post with more info, I’m just gonna talk about the last of my healing process. It is officially 3 months later, about +90 days, since the incident.

My legs look fine. As expected. I already had mild hyperpigmentation on my legs prior to burning, so I’m unbothered by the slight color change of my skin. Mind you, the mixed pigment in question isn’t even noticeable from a distance, that’s how well the melanin in my skin returned.

All that said, the “worst” part of the healing process (not the entire process) was the itching. As I understand, itching is GOOD because it means my nerves work and that I AM healing properly. Unfortunately, it’s obviously highly uncomfortable. This also led me to believe my burns were 2nd degree/deep 2nd degree because I still had hair follicles and nerves completely in tact (and no bleeding).

During this time I did use a thin thin layer of cortisol to ease the itching, ice packs too and Benadryl at night to make sure I was knocked out and not up scratching. This lasted for, maybe, 7 days or less AFTER it healed underneath and the skin started peeling off. So a month of “total healing”. I was up and adamant after 14 days, but the next 14 I was very cautious not to peel off skin unnecessarily or run around without any leg coverage.

Lastly, when the old skin started peeling like a wet tissue, I finally allowed the skin underneath to come off. Underneath, the new skin was obviously lacked melanin and that 15% white in my DNA done showed up haha.

Regardless, the peeling phase was EASILY my favorite part of the process. I’ve never had sunburn before so this is the closest I’m getting to it. It was so cool seeing my skin just slide off like that. Some places were a little less “tear-able”, so I didn’t rush it. I did take some sterilized, brand new, “skin cutting” scissors, burned and wiped down with alcohol every use, to cut away the skin cleanly from the wet toilet paper skin. And yes, it was likely so easy to tear BECAUSE I used the wet-wound healing method rather than letting my skin “dry out”. This, allegedly, is also why the color came back so well with no scabbing or anything.

Once all that old skin was cut off, the last bits of dead skin came off with every shower and my skin was back to its super smooth, soft and unbothered state like before. No numbness in my legs, no hair falling out, no scars. My legs are literally the same pre-burned, just with a little flair.

Overall I am very pleased with my amateur medical work. I hope any other brown skinned folks can see this and know that their skin will be quite alright with some TLC. If you have medical care, please see the damn doctor. If you don’t, you’re not a lost cause! Because I was highly inexperienced, I did spend a couple dollars constantly buying gauze to bandaged my wounds. Easily a $50-$75 L when it could’ve been a $30 cost.

Now. Here’s my quick lil FAQ for this post like I did my last one :

1. What did you use to clean your wounds?

• Washed GENTLY with DIAL gold antibacterial soap (bar soap or pump soap both work, I used the pump soap because I wasn’t taking chances). And by gently I mean I foamed up the soap in my hands and then placed it ON my wound and let it sit. In the early days of healing, I was NOT scrubbing or rubbing shit. And it doesn’t sting, like I thought it would, but I also didn’t have any bleeding so maybe that’s why.
• PAT dry with a brand new towel or clean paper towels that I ONLY use for the wounds. Literally a designated paper towel and it sat away from the bathroom in a dry closet with my clean towels and wash cloths.
• One layer of Neosporin over the area I don’t want infected (literally my whole burn for the majority of the healing process).
• Then, I grab my bandages and wrap with intention. Not too tight because I want those white blood cells to move around in there. Not to loose, I don’t want my bandages falling off every time I move my leg.
• And I repeat that for hours, when I first burned, then daily after the 14-ish day. After 14 days, I cleaned the whole lower leg with dial, but only Neosporin and bandage the section of my leg that I felt was most susceptible to infection still. The unbandaged parts of my leg, after that, got raw shea butter. Nothing else. And then I’d put a clean pantyhose over it before I threw on pants so it wouldn’t rub off on my furniture and stuff.
• Then, once the skin peeled off AND “aired out” for a day, I took normal showers with normal soap and regular lotion. (Disclaimer, I use the good stuff by default, so I’m talking non-fragrance Ceravae, Neutrogena and Dr Bonner’s when I say “norma” haha).

1. Why that antibacterial soap specifically?

• I used it on my piercings (not pictured) when I got them and they healed SO well. Every since then, I ONLY swear by Dial’s Gold antibacterial line. I specifically prefer the pump hand soap, but they also make bars and I think body wash. I don’t use the body wash, but I did use the bar before I knew there was a pump.

1. It burns/feels hot to the touch- that’s bad right?

• That’s a 50/50. The 50% I experienced was normal. The other 50% is a sign of infection. And you’ll know it’s infected because it’ll spread. If you see your wound “spreading” outside its area, it’s traveling and that’s not good. However, blood circulation is a thing, and your wound/burn is getting a whole lot of circulation because it’s healing. So it may feel a little warmer than normal as it heals. Infection isn’t just a single sign though, look out for a fever, a runny nose, you feel like you gotta sit down often- etc, etc..
• If you’re lighter in skin tone, you should see a “redness” around the affected area. Even my skin, as brown as it is, still shows redness. If the redness “travels” a smidge too far outside the area of the injury, it’s likely spreading and you’ll wanna pay the money to see somebody before you gotta amputate something LOL. My bad, that’s not funny- but it’s true though. And if you already have a doctor, don’t ask me or reddit- put their degree to good use friend!

1. What if I let it breathe and dried the wound out?

• If you had good results anyways, what is there to say about it? You healed well! That’s the imp part. If you’re healing really slowly (like +7 days and NO major signs of healing), you might wanna reconsider your methods and maybe shell out a couple dollars to see a doctor. I don’t think ANY wound or burn should be left uncovered for more than it’s initial 24 hours. If you’re sure it won’t get infected, let it breathe. If you think it might get infected, cover it! And most injuries, even small ones like the holes or new ear piercing or tiny paper cuts, can get infected. And so they need cleaned, covered and monitored 9/10 times. That’s my thinking.

1. So I’ll heal in 2 weeks after a 2nd degree/deep 2nd degree burn?

• Maybe. If you have my preexisting conditions, had your skin briefly scaled by hot water, burned the same way I burned and healed the exact same way I healed- I’d say so. Unfortunately you aren’t me and haven’t the same experience as me. According the internet homework I did at the time, 2nd degree and deep second degree burns are cited to have a 21 week or less turn around under optimal care. I guess I gave myself “optimal care”. So I’d assume that if you also gave yourself the best chance at healing, you could see similar timelines. However, you may have different conditions to work under and different circumstances that may quicken or slow your healing time. And if you have health insurance or access to affordable health care, you really oughta ask someone with a degree and not me or reddit.

Final Disclaimer : Again, I obviously didn’t get diagnosed by a real doctor, so my own assessment (according to medical advice from medicL articles and research papers), is that I had 2nd degree burns and/or deep second degree burns. And if I’m right, a skin graft would’ve been an eligible method for recovery. But I didn’t and thrived. Do not not get a skin graft if you’re able, what I did was because I was broke with no healthcare in NY of all places. Do NOT pass up medical care if you have access to it LOL.