In the past few hours, it has gone viral among teenage Instagram users and Tik Tok The viral challenge that consists of setting yourself on fire. The seriousness of the challenge and its lack of awareness have raised alarm bells in various sectors of society. To analyze the physical consequences of events of this kind, LN+ Talk to the head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns at the Burns Hospital, Mercedes Portas.
“It seems harmless, but the danger is universal.”“, stated the expert.
“We realized it was a viral challenge on social media based on investigating the cases we learned about. “In this type of event, there is post-accident stress which we can understand thanks to the stories of the heroes’ relatives,” Portas explained.
The specialist explained in her presentation that “Alcohol and related fire do not go hand in hand as they cause serious injuries.second and third grade. Moreover, it generates not only physical trauma, but also psychological trauma.
Beyond the physical and mental injuries, Portas emphasized the social aspect. “The social reintegration process for burn victims is often complex. “The viral video is just a moment compared to the number of months it takes to recover.”
Regarding manipulation with fire, the expert said: “It does not have a knob that indicates how far you have come or how far you have not gone.. Once it explodes, it burns everything. Even clothing, which is almost always made of synthetic materials and is not fire-resistant, catches fire quickly.
When asked about the consequences of this type of event, Portas confirmed that “The younger the patient, the more complications he or she will experience.He added: “It depends on the extent of the burn and the person’s age, but in general recovery takes months.”
From her experience, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns at Hospital de Quemados, the age group of social media users who created these challenges Includes young people between the ages of 14 and 16 years.
Finally, the professional shared her perspective on this type of behavior. “The need for acceptance, the race for it He loveshe ‘What a wonderful man: look how I do things‘. This is a psychological thing that happens to a lot of people. “And this is where we should focus our attention,” Portas concluded.