A 19-year-old female sustained 8 percent full thickness petrol flame b
urns to the neck, chest, breasts, upper abdomen and portions of the ri
ght upper limb, The patient had been breast-feeding until the time of
the injury. Following assessment of the risks of potential complicatio
ns such as engorgement, hyperprolactinaemia, mastitis, milk fistulae,
glandular loss, scarring and nipple distortion, surgical tangential ex
cision was delayed until bromocriptine produced cessation of lactation
and breast involution occurred. This case report demonstrates that co
nsideration of the potential problems in burns to the lactating breast
s and prophylactic management can lead to successful healing and proba
ble restoration of function.