Hair straighteners are a popular beauty product in the UK. An alarming rise in admissions to
the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery, for burns caused by hair straighteners has
led to this study. A thermodynamic study was also performed to look at temperature range
and cooling profiles of these devices. Thirty-one cases were identified over a 32-month
period, January 2003 to August 2006. Ninety-three percent (29 cases) were children with an
average age of 4 years. The majority of burns were partial thickness to hands and feet, but …