Psychological Impact of Living with Scars Following Burn Injury

Abstract

Living with scars in a society that highly values beauty can be challenging for a burn survivor. Particularly in the current society in which there are signals that increasing demands of beauty are becoming normalized, health care providers should be aware of this changing notion of normality that may increase the call for cosmetic and plastic surgery interventions and, at the same time, may decrease the acceptance of visible differences. This chapter describes psychological problems that may occur in burn survivors with visible differences. The adjustment process that follows after burn injury is complex and multifactorial. A changed appearance can elicit diminished self- and body-esteem and can hamper encounters with others. Knowledge on most frequent psychological disorders and its symptoms are reviewed and the multifaceted process of adjusting to visible differences involving personal and societal factors is described. It outlines risk factors for psychological problems associated with burn scars and how psychological problems can influence the perception of the scars. It also briefly describes psychological interventions that can be applied in this field.