Treating Sun Burns with L-Mesitran

This patient is an 86 year old female with type 2 diabetic. She receives daily care from a professional nurse. She has a bladder catheter and is able to move indoors with a walker. She has a history of heart failure, peptic stomach disease, and hypertension. 

She fell asleep while sitting outside in the sun during summer which resulted in 2nd degree burns on her left thigh and shoulder. She was treated at the same hospital where she was already being treated for a Transient Ischaemic Attack. The wounds were treated with fatty gauze and wound gel. 

A crust had formed on the wounds. It could be because of less exudate in the wound. Without moist necrosis, the wound completely dried out and enabled the gelt to form crusts. This is a normal symptom in wounds with low exudate levels.

According to the nurse, this treatment method was not the most appropriate for the patient. Therefore, he decided to treat the wound with a honey based gel, L-Mesitran Soft and L-Mesitran Tulle.

At first, the crust which was caused by the previous wound gel was removed and the wound was rinsed with saline. The honey gel, L-Mesitran Soft, was applied to the shoulder. The upper leg was covered with L-Mesitran Tulle. Both dressings were covered with absorbent gauze material. The wounds were treated daily.

The patient experienced some pain shortly after L-Mesitran Soft was applied, especially when the wound was recovering and granulating the wound bed.This is quite normal, since the protective umbrella effect of the crust had disappeared. The wound was cleaner. It had better blood circulation and the nerves recovered, causing increased sensation.

The occlusive dressing did not adhere to the wound. The moisture level of the wound was optimal, compared to the desiccation of the wound before. The honey dressing was easy to remove. Due to the use of honey, it was possible to remove the necrotic tissue manually with tweezers and scalpel.