TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

When Cenel Castillo, 13, was recovering from severe burns this summer in the intensive care unit, his mother absentmindedly pulled out a mirror to check her eyebrows.

Cenel asked to see the compact, the first time he had viewed his charred face since playing with fire several days before. The resulting explosion had severely burned nearly 60 percent of his body, including the skin on the lower half of his face.

"I was scared because my face was black," Cenel said. "But, I thought to myself: the most important thing is that I'm alive."

Now, Cenel is the first person in Kern County to undergo an uncommon surgical procedure that will replace those thick, red, uneven scars with his own smooth, new skin -- skin that's growing in a bulge that circles his neck like an inflatable airplane pillow.

This week, he came to the Grossman Burn Center at San Joaquin Community Hospital where a plastic surgeon injected more saline into the growing skin, which is inflated thanks to a balloon under the surface.

As they inject more liquid into the balloon, the bulging skin stretches and grows, much like a pregnant woman's belly. It takes about three months for the excess skin to extend enough for the surgery.

"The human body is amazing that skin can stretch so rapidly," said Dr. John Diaz, the L.A.-based plastic surgeon working on the procedure at Grossman.

In about six weeks, the doctors will remove the balloon, cut away Cenel's scar tissue and extend the good skin over his chin. He'll still have minimal markings, but they'll be clean and even, compared to the thick, irregular burn scars he has now.

"When you have a significant, disfiguring scar it can be both physically and psychologically debilitating," said Stephen Hanson, a physician assistant at Grossman. "It's almost a miracle that we can restore a normal contour to a child's face."

Playing with fire

Gaby Castillo was so nervous about her son's first sleepover that she texted him multiple times on that Friday evening in December. Something just didn't feel right, and she couldn't fall asleep.

But it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that she got the phone call every parent fears: Cenel had been severely burned.

Cenel, his friend and the friend's brother had planned on playing with the four-wheeler that day, but the vehicle needed gasoline. When they spotted the gas can, another idea emerged.

"We decided to play with fire," said Cenel.

Gaby describes Cenel as a kid so cautious he locks the doors every night and urges her to drive carefully. But, that day, Cenel admitted, "we were bored."

They poured the contents of the gas can -- which also included oil -- over the toy cars, and used a lighter to watch the little vehicles go up in flames.

Fire quickly engulfed Cenel's body, which had been splattered with the liquid.

"I wasn't sure what had happened," he said. "We were just playing."

Cenel didn't realize the extent of his injuries because his body was in shock. He was taken to San Joaquin Community Hospital, and, later, the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills (in the San Fernando Valley), where he spent three weeks in the intensive care unit.

Surgeons grafted skin on his arms and legs but his face was still deeply scarred.

"I thought my son was going to stay like this," Gaby said.

A phone call from Diaz, the plastic surgeon, describing the skin expansion technique, gave her hope. Gaby said she's looking forward to the day when people will no longer stare at her and Cenel when they walk through the grocery store aisles.

The balloon of skin around his neck makes him so nervous and uncomfortable that Gaby has been home-schooling him.

Cenel, who has straight posture and makes easy eye contact, said he's looking forward to improved facial movement. The tight, thickened scar tissues make it hard to move his mouth, hindering his ability to smile or open his mouth wide enough to eat a Big Mac.

Common pitfalls

At Bakersfield's Grossman Burn Center, most of the patients Cenel's age have played with fire, said Hanson, the physician assistant.

The 20-somethings with burns are often male, drunk and have fallen into campfires. Toddlers are frequent victims of hot water scalds. And, younger kids occasionally fall into extinguished fire rings where hot coals are still simmering beneath the dirt.

After what she describes as "a tough road," Gaby stressed the importance of not leaving kids unattended, and keeping dangerous items like gas cans out of their sight.

Cenel puts it in simple terms. For kids thinking of playing with fire: "Find something better to do."