As summer arrives, so too does barbecue season and more time spent working and socialising outside. While these moments are part of everyday life across Ireland, especially in farming and agricultural communities, they also bring a higher risk of sunburn and burns from hot surfaces, flames, machinery or chemical exposure.
What many people don’t realise is that burns can be more serious than they first appear. Surrounding the visible injury is an area of tissue called the zone of stasis.
Here, blood flow is reduced, inflammation (swelling ) develops, and oxygen levels fall. Within hours this area can worsen, causing the injury to deepen if not carefully managed. It’s important to remember that serious burns always require urgent medical attention.
HBOT and recovery
Tissues need a good supply of oxygen to survive and repair. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT ) raises the oxygen dissolved in blood plasma, helping it reach poorly perfused tissue and supporting collagen formation, new blood vessel growth, and infection control. Thermal burns are a recognised use of HBOT internationally, used alongside, never instead of, standard burns care.
Important: OxyGeneration is not an emergency service. Acute burns treatment happens within hospital burns units. If you or a loved one is burned, seek immediate emergency care rather than contacting Oxygeneration.
Deeper burns can take months to close, and some wounds or grafts stall along the way. The same principle applies: better-oxygenated tissue tends to heal better. Research on this later recovery phase is thinner; however, preliminary research shows an encouraging pattern of improved healing times and reduced scarring with HBOT.
HBOT with us always complements your GP, burns team or surgeon, never replaces them. If a burn is healing slowly, the team at Oxygeneration are happy to talk it through — after you've had the medical attention it needs.
Contact OxyGeneration, Galway, on 091 394 444 or www.oxygeneration.com
