the head and neck region is the most frequent site where a burn injury occurs .
these percentages vary between 27 to 60% , depending on country , the setting and the definition of what constitutes a facial burn .
children represent 25 to 50 % of the total burn population and the prevalence of facial burns in children is between 24 and 52 % ( 1 ) .
the face is a psychologically significant area of the body and its disfigurement has been found to have numerous potential psychosocial consequences for patients .
facial burns are extremely common , making up at least 30 to 50% of minor to moderate burns .
facial burns are also present in over 50% of large burns , the vast majority being partial thickness . because of
the difficulty and complexity of wound care including pain and the frequent cleansing to avoid infection , partial thickness burns of the face , often require hospital care ( 2 - 6 ) .
medium - thickness second - degree burns , which epithelialize in 10 to 14 days , often heal without scarring , although long - term alterations in skin pigmentation and texture are frequent .
medium to deep second - degree burns , which epithelialize in 14 to 28 days or longer , must be carefully monitored because they are prone to the development of late hypertrophic scarring ( 7 ) ? in the face , full - thickness burns are rare since the high vascularity of the face rapidly dissipates the heat .
also facial burns are often caused by flash burns , which usually cause partial - thickness burns .
however , full - thickness burns can be seen , especially in contact burns and in the event of prolonged exposure to the heating source , for example if the patient was sub- or unconscious or paralyzed at the time of accident .
in addition , in some places ( e.g. the nose and ears ) facial skin is very thin and more vulnerable to deep burns .
if nose and ears are deeply burned , the anatomical structures can change or disappear ( 8) .
the objective of this study is to understand the causes of facial burns , depth of facial burns , localization , distribution of facial burns by gender and over years , the methods of treatments .
this is a retrospective study that included 350 patients with facial burns treated in 2006 - 2011 period in department of plastic and reconstructive surgery kosova .
the data was collected and analyzed from the archives and protocols of the university clinical center of kosova .
in this retrospective study we included 350 patients in 6 year period with facial burns .
facial burns were predominant in male patients with 291 cases or 83.1% while only 59 were female or 16.9% ( table 1 ) .
scald and liquid was responsible for burns in 156 cases or 44.6% , followed by burns due to flame and fire burns in 109 cases or 31.1% and in 85 cases or 24.3% the cause of facial burns were flame due electricity ( table 1 ) .
nineteen or 5.4% of patients had only a facial burn and 331 of patients or 94.6% were patients who except face have burned other parts of the body ( table 1 ) .
superficial burns were present in 298 cases or 85.1 % , and deep burns were present with 52 cases or 14.9% .
conservative treatments were applied in 335 cases or 95.7% with cleaning of burned surface and therefore surgical treatment were applied in 15 cases or 4.3% ( table 2 ) .
they pose difficulties in pre - hospital resuscitation and are challenge to clinicians managing surviving burn victims in the intensive care setting ( 10 - 11 ) . in this retrospective study
facial burns were predominant in male patients with 291 cases or 83.1% while only 59 were female or 16.9% . a similar study of 1061 patients with facial burns by castana et al .
reported that females predominated , with an incidence of 61% , compared to a male incidence of 39% ( 12 ) .
scald and liquid was responsible for burns in 156 cases or 44.6% , followed by burns due to flame and fire burns in 109 cases or 31.1% and in 85 cases or 24.3% the cause of facial burns were flame due electricity .
another similar study of 277 patients conducted by mustafa h.ali reported that scalds were the main causes of burn injuries with 49.1% , followed by flame burns with 37.5% ( 13 ) .
nineteen or 5.4% of patients had only a facial burn and 331 of patients or 94.6% were patients who except face have burned other parts of the body .
superficial burns were present in 298 cases or 85.1% , and deep burns were present with 52 cases or 14.9% .
conservative treatments were applied in 335 cases or 95.7% with cleaning of burned surface and therefore surgical treatment were applied in 15 cases or 4.3% .
there may be soot around the nose and mouth and coughing may produce phlegm that includes ash .
they pose difficulties in pre - hospital resuscitation and are challenge to clinicians managing surviving burn victims in the intensive care setting .
management problems  resuscitation , airway maintenance and clinical treatment of facial injuries are compounded if the victim is child .
inhalational burns reduce survivability , certainly in adult victim . in our retrospective study we found that facial burns dominated in male gender , liquids and scalds are the most common causes of facial burns in children whereas the flame and electricity were the most common causes of facial burns in adults .
we came to the conclusion in our study that surgical treatment minimizes complications and duration of recovery .
 facial burns are generally considered severe . 
 this is due to the possibility of respiratory complications . 
 first responders check the nostrils for singed hairs . in severe cases 
 there may be soot around the nose and mouth and coughing may produce phlegm that includes ash . 
 facial and inhalational burns compromise airways . 
 they pose difficulties in pre - hospital resuscitation and are challenge to clinicians managing surviving burn victims in the intensive care setting . 
 management problems  resuscitation , airway maintenance and clinical treatment of facial injuries are compounded if the victim is child . 
 inhalational burns reduce survivability , certainly in adult victim . in our retrospective study we found that facial burns dominated in male gender , liquids and scalds are the most common causes of facial burns in children whereas the flame and electricity were the most common causes of facial burns in adults . 
 we came to the conclusion in our study that surgical treatment minimizes complications and duration of recovery . 
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
Conflict of interest