155 burns caused by hair straighteners in children: A single centre's experience over 5 years

Hair straighteners have become a popular and common household appliance. The incidence of burns from these devices is rising, and is of particular concern given that the main casualties are infants. We present the largest case series in the literature of paediatric burns from hair straightening devices.MethodsRetrospective data collection of all burns by hair straightening devices presenting to our unit between 2007 and 2011. Details on demographics, time and mechanism of injury, size and depth of injury and treatment received were recorded.ResultsThere were 155 cases in the five-year period. The mean age was 19 months. The majority of the burns were caused by a ‘touch/grab’ (49%) or ‘stepped-into’ (14%) mechanism. The area most frequently burnt was the hand with 60% of the injuries. 8 out of the 155 required excision and grafting.ConclusionHair straightening devices can reach temperatures of over 220 °C and can cause significant full thickness injuries. Our study shows that infants and toddlers are at most risk. These are preventable burns that warrant our attention, and we would advocate the use of heat-resistant pouches and closure clips on the devices to help minimise the risk of injury.