Brief Answer: Ref: Chemical Burns Injury Detailed Answer: Hello, First of all let me introduce myself. I am a consultant plastic surgeon and attend to a huge number of burn cases every day. You have mentioned that your friend has chemical burns over his hands which has caused his hands to be dry and peeling. Actually, in chemical burn injury the chemical reacts with the skin protein to form an eschar which is tough and dry. The area under the eschar comprises of normal tissue. In order to promote healing in such a wound, it is advisable to use some soothing agents to make the eschar less dry so that it ultimately absorbs water and falls off. Your friend is using bag balm and you have mentioned that this helps. It is okay to use bag balm because this would act as a soothing agent and aid healing. However, one must also keep in mind that eschar might also lead to localized infection over the area of chemical burn injury therefore, it is also advisable that your frind apply some sort of antibacterial ointment over the eschar at least 2 times per day (eg. mupirocin). The areas of burn injury should be cleaned daily with soap and water and protection with clean gloves should be continued. Best wishes!

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Brief Answer: Reply Detailed Answer: Hello, Yes, it is definitely helpful to cut off the eschar away and this also aids in wound healing. However, one must remember that the whole process of cutting the eschar away should be done with clean scissors/ blades and with liberal use of antiseptic solution so that there is no chance of infection emanating from the procedure. Have a nice day!

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