how do i donate skin to the burn centers?
543148
A common urban legend is that hospitals are waiting with open arms to remove excess skin for use on burn victims. While this isn't true, for those of you who would like to donate skin after surgery, please scroll to the bottom of this wonderful post for the address:\n\n"... And the most wonderful thing would be - if you had cosmetic surgery for the excess skin that it be donated for use by burn patients and others needing skin grafts."\n\nResponse:\n\n"Wouldn't it be wonderful if this were true? \n\nAs a burn survivor with 108 skin grafts, maybe I can shed some light on this.\n\nWhen your skin is damaged badly enough to require grafting, the only skin that can permanently replace it is your own skin (or that of an identical twin). This type of graft is called an autograft, and can be accomplished in two ways. One, they remove shallow slices of skin from unburned areas of your body (donor sites) and literally move it to areas that need to be grafted. The burned skin is removed, and the donor skin is stapled or stitched into place, where it usually successfully re-attaches and grows. The donor sites eventually regenerate, t scar to some degree. Graft sites, as would be expected, also scar. The other way is to grow skin cells in a laboratory, often in conjunction with "artificial skin" products such as Integra. This is usually a last resort when the patient just doesn't have enough undamaged potential donor sites accomplish the job. The lab-grown skin is transplanted much like donor skin.\n\nBurn patients are often critically ill, sometimes more so than anyone not having seen it firsthand can begin to imagine. \n\nA fresh donor site becomes the equivalent of a second-degree burn after the skin is removed, and between burned areas, grafted areas, and fresh donor sites, there is a limit to the number of donor sites that surgeons can use at any given time. Doctors need to buy time for some patients while donor sites recover or new skin can be grown. Temporary skin coverings, either from human cadaver skin (allografts) or pigskin (xenografts) can be used to help keep the patient alive. These temporary skin coverings are rejected by the body after a few days, die off, and need to be replaced either with a permanent autograft or another temporary allograft/xenograft.\n\nIt is possible to "harvest" skin from live donors. But the equipment needed to do this is horrendously expensive,.. \n\nand very, very few burn centers have it. It's just not a cost effective procedure, considering the procedure results in an allograft that is going to die off in a matter of days and will need to be replaced. In addition, the live skin that might be harvested needs to fit many criteria. For starters, it has to be very healthy, of sufficient size and shape, and cannot be scarred or stretched out. It also needs to be screened for communicable diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, and the like. Then the harvested skin needs to be kept alive until it is used as a temporary skin graft. Very few surgical procedures result in this kind of harvestable skin; certainly tummy tucks or removal of saggy underarm skin are not among them. Most burn centers prefer to allocate precious resources to things that are going to provide the best possible care for critically ill patients.\n\nIf anyone truly wishes to help burn patients, please consider post-mortem skin donations, much like you might consider donation of other organs. \n\nIf you have "live" skin you wish to donate, please contact::\n\nThe American Burn Association\n\n650 N. Michigan Avenue\n\nSuite 1530\n\nChicago, IL 60611\n\nPhone 800-548-2876\n\nFax 312-642-9150\n\nprior to any contemplated surgeries so the American Burn Association can direct you to medical facilities that have the proper resources. The American Burn Association can also provide you with the information you would need regarding post-mortem skin donations.\n\nI don't know of any med
613344
how about a local church??? most churches will take clothing donations too  and they do not re-sell the clothing to people, they give poor people clothing for free...they may also have many connections to oversea organizations  and can get you in touch with them or send them for you... best wishes!
544489
try getting permission from the business, if you donated a portion to charity they might let you.
673704
look up your local Salvation army or goodwill.  Not sure if they will do it the same day though.
773944
Here is a website that lists several different charity "malls" where you can donate by shopping online.  \nhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/12/20/BU9281.DTL  Check it out!  Hope this helps.  I think it's great that you want to help.  Happy Holidays!
22754
Some charities will take them off your hands so they can refurbish them and give to needy people.  I have also donated components to the Salvation Army.
229345
told my mom I was going to sell my butt skin for research.  she got that check book right out..you really can do this at big research hospital like the university of Michigan pays you to sell it
262108
If you really want to give something back to your old neighborhood, check with the local hospital there.  There are usually all kinds of worthwhile places within the organization that could put donations to good use.  (To the children's ward, cancer center, a memorial contribution, etc).  Also I would check into a homeless shelter or somewhere in need of donations to feed the needy, or perhaps even the animal shelter.  And of course, there's the church.  Just put your heart into it and see what has touched your life and go with it.  And good luck to you!  You're very thoughtful.
632572
Here in Florida (and I am assuming that this is more then likely nationwide) you can go to any fire station and they will give you a needles box (like the kind you see in doctor's offices) and also will collect and dispose of full needle boxes.
417298
If in Alabama, try Disabled Veterans of America/Alabama(?).\nThey give away small household items (ex. kitchen shears) for donations.
231833
We have plasma centers in Fayetteville Ar. where I live and even though it's not actually donating blood the # is listed in the yellow pages under blood. I hope this helps you.
280448
make u have extracted the pink skin and saved it in to the yahoo skins directory,,:-?
249076
You can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support your objectives. These two sites are FREE and CFDA is the source of information of all fee-based lists and books on the topic.\n\nNote that federal grants are given to specific target groups in response to a specific need and has specific requirements. The Government does not give out money just for the sake of giving out money.  Grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments -- and rarely for individuals. I strongly doubt you'd find any grant to help you out for your cosmetic procedure!
462436
The very first step is to stop the heat. Do this by submerging the burned area in cold water as fast as you can. If it is on a part of the body that you cannot submerge, then immediately pour cold water over the area several times or rinse the area under a faucet or shower. Remove any clothing that is covering the area, then poor some more water onto the burn. Be careful not to pull a still-hot shirt over the head as this may burn the face. Getting cold water onto the area as fast as possible is the single most important factor in minimizing the burn damage. \nDo not use ice. This can cause cold damage to the skin, which may make the burn worse. \nThe next step is to continue the cold water for at least 20 minutes. Submerging the burn is best, but if you cannot, then either run it under cold water or apply cold water-soaked washcloths repeatedly. \nDo not put any butter, grease, or powder on the burn. \n\nAFTER THE INITIAL 20 MINUTES OF COLD WATER, WHAT DO I DO NEXT?\nPain relief. Give yourself a dose of ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). This will both help the pain and decrease the inflammation. \nAssess the burn. There are several degrees of burn. \nFirst degree burns. This is simply redness, with no blistering. This type of burn never leaves a scar if properly treated. \nSecond degree burns. This is redness with blistering of the skin and is usually the most painful type on burn. With proper treatment, this type of burn almost never leaves a scar. NEVER pop the blisters. \nThird degree burns. This occurs when many layers of skin are actually burned away. Usually there is no blister because all the top layers of skin are gone. This burn usually does leave a scar, even with proper treatment.\n\nFacial burns. These almost always warrant a call to your doctor right away, unless it involves a very small area, such as the size of a quarter or smaller. \n\nFirst degree burns. For this type of burn, you do not need any prescription cream. You also do not need to use an antibiotic cream. One of the best treatments is aloe vera. Buy a bottle of green 100% aloe gel and apply several times a day. Be sure to buy 100% aloe. Some bottles will say, "made with pure aloe", but only contain 10% aloe. Read the ingredients. It should basically only say aloe. You can also use the juice from the leaf of an aloe plant if you have one. \n\nSecond degree burns. Treating this type of burn is more complex. You should check with your doctor about how to treat your second-degree burns. Here are some general guidelines that we recommend. Twice a day do the following: \nRinse the area with comfortable temperature water. Use a sink or bathtub faucet. The stream of water will remove germs, dead skin, and debris. \nAir dry. \nApply prescription burn cream called Silvadene (the generic equivalent is silver sulfadiazine). This is an antibiotic cream that also has excellent healing properties. This is an important part of burn treatment because it is very effective at preventing infection. You need to apply it aseptically; buy a package of sterile tongue depressors to use. Use a lot of cream, as if you were icing a cake. When you change the bandage, if all the cream is worn off or soaked in, then you didn't use enough. Silvadene contains silver, and you will notice a dark "tarnish" discoloration on the bandages. \nCover with a bandage. Your doctor may recommend a specific type of bandage. Typically a non-stick pad is placed over the cream (one brand name is Telfa), than a gauze is taped or wrapped around the area. \nStretch. If the burn is on an area of the body that stretches or pulls a lot (such as the palm of the hand or palm side of the fingers), the burned skin is at risk of healing too tight. This is called a contracture. In this type of area, it is very important to stretch this skin around ten times a day for one minute. \nCut away the blister – after the blister pops on it's own. Your doctor may cut the dead blistered skin away
966499
If you had a burn that caused medical bills, you might have a claim. You could probably provide them with documentation, and work it out through their insurance. Court is the last resort.
331587
I worked in a steel foundry for 5 years and I got burnt many, many times.  You can hardly see any of them now, but they still hurt me when the sun hits them.  On most of the minor burns, I just used a strong vitamin E cream, from the pharmacy.  Around 10,000-25,0000 UI.  For, the bad burns, I used Silver Sulfadiazine Cream .  This is the best and only prescription burn cream out there.  You have to get it from your doctor.  Its sometimes called Dermazin.  For the most part though, it was time that healed the wounds.  It's amazing what the body can do.  Be patient.  Sometimes it takes a few years, but two or three years really isn't that long.  Best or luck.
975895
Sounds like you're preparing for a kitchen disaster this Thanksgiving.  If grease or boiling water, you are probably near cold water - like tap or faucet water.  DRENCH the burn area in cold water - hold it under the faucet, or the open end of a hose. - DON'T spray it!  Just flood it - and do this for a few minutes - not seconds.\n\nGet it under there immediately to stop the burn from penetrating through the skin any more than it has.  Don't just cool the surface.\n\n1st or second degree - gently pat dry. Third degree - top surface of skin is gone - seek medical help.  If it's an area larger than your hand, or if it's on the face or genitals - call 911.  Seriously.\n\nOtherwise, go IMMEDIATELY to the ER or a clinic.