I recently saw the movie Chapaak and it reminded me of all the acid burn patients I have seen and treated in my career.
At the outset, it is a commendable movie and definitely worth a watch. Deepika Padukone has taken a difficult role and deserves plaudits for her performance.
One thing which struck me during the movie is that Deepikas final appearance in the movie after her trauma, is better than what most acid burn patients are left with. It is possible but often doesn’t happen for several reasons.
The most difficult thing with acid burns is that it causes a wide range of problems such as;
- eyelid problems- difficulty opening of closing
- Nostril closure
- Mouth opening problems
- Neck contracture
etc etc. These are in addition to the cosmetic issues brought by the burns. These functional issues take priority and they cannot be treated in 1 stage. Which means that the patient has to undergo multiple surgeries over many years just to fix functional issues. And often at the end of this, the patient is either frustrated or doesnt have the financial resources to improve the appearance of her burns.
Another problem is, that these patients usually go to reconstructive centers, which may not have the best cosmetic treatment facilities such as lasers etc. And cosmetic surgery centers may be financially out of reach for them.
These are just some of the issues faced by burns patients. And we as a society need to do better to prevent this heinous crime and take care of them.
To this end, at the Venkat Center, we have started an initiative called the Jayashree Clinic where burn scar patients are seen and treated at nominal rates. It is our aim to provide state of the art cosmetic services to these patients. All burn scar patients are welcome
