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UCI Medical Center's Douglas Hospital at twilight

Regional Burn Center

If you have suffered a burn, you can get advanced treatment, reconstructive care and support for your physical and emotional recovery.

Home Medical Services Burn Center

Regional Burn Center

American Burn Association Verified Burn Center BadgeIf you or a loved one has suffered a burn, you need expert care you can trust.

At the UCI Health Regional Burn Center, the only American Burn Association-verified burn center in Orange County, you receive comprehensive treatment for burn injuries, complex wounds and burn scars, along with support for recovery.

Our approach to burn care Why choose UCI Health for burn care? Related services Our clinicians

Our approach to burn care

A serious burn can affect far more than your skin. It can affect your mobility, comfort, confidence and emotional wellbeing, too.

At UCI Health, we care for you from the initial injury through hospitalization, rehabilitation and outpatient follow-up. Your team may include trauma surgeons, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and pain management experts working together on your care. 

If you have a second-degree or third-degree burn, or if you have an electrical or chemical burn, our Regional Burn Center offers highly specialized treatment close to home. 

We use advanced surgical techniques and skin substitute technology to help treat your injuries. When appropriate, these options may help reduce the need for skin grafting. 

We also partner with the UCI Health Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic to help diagnose burn depth and treat burn scars using innovative nonsurgical techniques.

What to expect

When you come to the UCI Health Regional Burn Center, your care is led by a dedicated team focused on both your medical and emotional recovery. 

Your treatment may include:

  • Emergency and inpatient burn care
  • Inpatient rehabilitation, when needed 
  • Outpatient follow-up 
  • Pain management 
  • Burn reconstruction 
  • Scar management 
  • Physical therapy 
  • Occupational therapy 
  • Psychosocial support for you and your family 

You also have access to specialized emotional support. Our burn psychologist helps treat post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other challenges that can follow a serious burn injury. 

If your child is returning to school with visible scarring, we can provide counseling and support, including school assemblies that help reduce staring and teasing. 

Our team members are Behavior Enhancement Skills Training (BEST) certified and can help teach image-enhancement techniques during recovery. 

Why choose UCI Health for burn care?

UCI Health is the only burn treatment program in Orange County verified by the American College of Surgeons and the American Burn Association. 

That means you receive care from a program that meets rigorous standards for quality, expertise and safety. 

Certified pediatric burn care 

Our Regional Burn Center is certified by the California Children’s Services program.

This helps families access highly specialized burn care for children in a program equipped to support their medical and recovery needs.

Advanced wound and scar treatment 

We offer advanced surgical care, skin substitute technology and reconstructive expertise for complex wounds. 

Through our partnership with the UCI Health Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic, you also have access to innovative burn-depth diagnosis and scar treatment.

Whole-person recovery support

Recovery from a burn injury can continue long after you leave the hospital.

That is why we offer community and peer support, including:

  • The SOAR program, which connects you with burn survivors who have overcome similar injuries
  • Burn survivor holiday parties and summer picnics
  • Scholarships to attend the annual World Burn Congress

You can participate in these survivor programs even if you were treated at another burn clinic.

Specialized facilities built for burn healing

Our eight-suite burn ICU and dedicated hydrotherapy rooms are designed specifically for burn treatment and recovery.

These facilities support expert wound care, comfort, rehabilitation and family involvement throughout healing.

A team approach from injury through follow-up

Your care follows you from the initial injury through hospitalization, rehabilitation and outpatient follow-up.

This coordinated approach helps make your treatment, recovery and long-term support feel more connected. 

A pair of hands holds a blue smartphone

Expert burn care can support your recovery

If you have a serious burn, complex wound or burn scare, our specialists are here to help you heal physically and emotionally.

Call to learn more

Our clinicians

Burn center physicians include board-certified trauma surgeons, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and experts in pain management.

The primary members of our burn center team are:

“The doctors and nurses were very compassionate and understanding throughout our stay,” says Cynthia Garcia, mother of a burn patient treated at UCI Health. “I appreciated how they spoke to [my son] directly about his treatment, which made him feel like a person and not just another patient.”

Burn FAQ

First-degree burns, such as sunburns, only affect the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis. The burn area is red, slightly swollen and without blisters. First-degree burns are characterized by persistent but relatively minor pain and usually heal without problems. Long-term damage is rare.

A second-degree burn is deeper and involves the epidermis and part of the dermis, or second layer of the skin. These burns cause redness and swelling, and the area is extremely painful. Fluid-filled blisters often form and the skin beneath is pink and moist; do not remove the blistered skin unless instructed to do so by a physician. Some second-degree burns may require a skin graft or skin substitute to heal.

A third-degree burn, the most serious of the three levels, extends deeper into the skin tissues. Common symptoms include dry, leathery, necrotic (dead) skin. The burned skin may look white or charred. If the burn has destroyed nerve endings, the victim may experience little or no pain. Third-degree burns need immediate medical attention and will require a skin graft or skin substitute to heal.

Treat the area with cool water for five minutes or until the pain subsides. Do not apply ice. Cool water can relieve pain and reduce swelling by conducting heat away from the skin, which helps prevent blister formation.

Dry the wound carefully and cover with a dry dressing and come to the Burn Center immediately for evaluation. 

A person with an electrical burn (for example, from a power line) should go to the hospital right away. Electrical burns often cause serious injury inside the body, which may not show on the skin.

A chemical burn should be washed with large amounts of water. Take off any clothing that has come in contact with the chemical and do not cover the burned area. This may start a chemical reaction that could make the burn worse.

If you don't know what to do, call 911 or your local poison control center and seek medical advice right away.

First-degree burns usually heal in three to six days. Second-degree burns usually heal in two to three weeks. Third-degree burns usually take a very long time to heal.

Questions? Contact the burn center at 888-622-2876.