The Premiere Site For Celebrity Plastic Surgery By A Real Plastic Surgeon

I'm a Michigan-based Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has been featured on Dr. 90210. The info here is my opinion alone and should not be taken as fact or as medical advice. I've not treated any of the celebrities presented here.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

DJ AM and Travis Barker Burned in Plane Crash


As you may have already heard, DJ AM and former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker were severely burned in a plane crash which killed four other people. According to CNN.com, they both suffered second and third degree burns, Barker to the torso and lower body, and DJ AM to the head and arm. They are currently at the Joseph Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia.

I've worked in a Burn Unit several times during my plastic surgery training, and now occasionally take care of minor burns. Third degree burns are also known as full thickness burns, and necessitate skin grafting for the area to properly heal. Second degree burns (split thickness burns) are characterized by blistering. Depending on how they heal, second degree burns may or may not need skin grafting. Burns wounds, as you may guess, are extremely painful and often require a lengthy recovery. I don't know their exact medical details, but it sounds to me that the burns they suffered are usually not fatal. Burns like what they reportedly have, though, usually require several weeks in the hospital and several months in physical therapy.

I wish these two guys the best during their recoveries.

Photo credit: CNN.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.
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3 comments:

casu marzu said...

Dr. Youn,
Will Barker be able to tattoo over the grafted skin once recovery is complete, or is doing that to grafted skin always counterindicated?

Anonymous said...

Thats a good question I would also like to know the answer to that.

Dr. Tony Youn said...

I would think it is possible, but don't know for sure. Tattooing is placing ink in the deeper layers of the skin, so I don't see how it may not work.