TULSA, Okla. — The triple-digit temperatures this summer affected Tulsans in more ways than one.
2 News Oklahoma spoke to one doctor who says they saw a significant increase in foot burns, this year.
Doctor Tara Wilson at the Alexander Burn Center at Hillcrest Hospital says this summer kept them busy.
"With the heat indices and triple digits that we've seen in the month of July and August, we saw a significant increase in burns to the bottom of the feet," says Dr. Tara Wilson, the Medical Director of the Alexander Burn Center.
Doctor Wilson says most of the foot burn patients were children and older people.
Children, who aren't sure what to do at the moment, and older adults, who have lost feeling in their feet.
"It's innocently going from the pool to the table that's too many steps away on the hot concrete. or for our older patients, just innocently walking out to the mailbox and back and not realizing how hot the concrete is."
She says the vast majority of the burns they've seen are at least second-degree.
And when it comes to treating a burn like that, doctors can clean and dress the injury, but it just takes time for the skin to heal.
She says that can take several weeks, especially for adults.
Dr. Wilson says they also saw a big increase in patients coming in with sunburns.
"We really have to focus on making sure you're acclimatized to the hotter weather, you're hydrating appropriately and you wear protective items to prevent those prolonged exposures."
Doctor Wilson says although summer is coming to an end and cooler temperatures may be headed our way, it's not time to let your guard down.
"We just caution that in these times, as we are coming up to Labor Day weekend, that we are still really aware."
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