Sandblaster injuries and the role of dermabrasion

Sandblasting injuries are rare. They cause a combination of friction burns and soft tissue trauma. This unique injury pattern is due to a high-velocity stream of particulate matter, resulting in foreign body implantation. This case report describes the use of dermabrasion for the successful removal of embedded sand particles while avoiding overexcision of tissue. Sandblaster injuries do not have a standard of care due to their rarity.We treated a patient with partial-thickness wounds to the left arm and abdomen from the impact of the high-velocity particles ejected by a sandblaster.Due to lingering particulate matter, the patient underwent excision via dermabrasion.In 2 weeks, the wounds were fully epithelialized without traumatic tattooing and without the need for skin grafting.