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These burns happened when I was working for a cultured marble shop. We used acetone to clean up the styrene resins. Well to make a long story short, I wanted a smoke before the fumes in my shirt sleeve's and the liquid I splashed on my shirt were dry. I was a human torch in a split second. Stop drop and roll doesn't work when the floor has flammable chemicals on it... I thought I was dead when the flash went across the shop towards the acetone drums and the resin vats! I was put out by a co-worker within 30 seconds, but that was enough to warrant a 3 week stay in the burn unit.

The pictures 1-3 are preparing for debridement. The nurses even let me do that myself for the last 4 or 5 weeks. It peeled a lot! The yellowish stuff is a bacteria that grew. real thick and tough as leather. It was kinda soft and slimy around the edges. Picture 4 is after the bacteria that grow on 3rd degree burns is cut off with a scalpel and only codeine for pain. That hurt so bad I had to do it in 2 sittings!

Sorry I don't have more pics but I had to sweet talk the nurses to let me bring the camera in those 2 times.

Pictures 5 and 6 are 3 years later

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ED: Three weeks in the burn unit! I hope to never be in the burn unit, but if I ever have to go there I hope I can measure my time in minutes or hours. The healing looks good on this, and at least he got to sweet talk some nurses.

For some reason this wound reminds me of a song. "I'm Drinkin TNT, I'm smokin dynamite, I hope some screwball start a fight."

Here's the interesting part, according to the government, cigarette smoke contains acetone. So, not only did it try to kill him from the outside, it has infiltrated his system and is taking him down from the inside. I never thought to ask him if he quit smoking. Maybe he'll comment with the answer.

Photos:
Acetone 1- prep for debridement
Acetone 2- prep for debridement
Acetone 3- gunky
Acetone 4- after the cutting
Acetone 5- 3 year scar
Acetone 6- 3 year scar