JAY'S 'HYPER' HEALING
UNDER WRAPS: Chamber and skin grafts
Jay Leno has been treated in a hyperbaric chamber and received skin grafts from donors after he suffered third-degree burns in a freak accident while working on a vintage car.
The 72-year-old comic allowed “Inside Edition” to film him lying inside the medical device in a blue hospital gown, with his left arm and right hand covered in bandages.
Dr. Peter Grossman, Leno’s physician, explained the importance of the hyperbaric chamber.
“It helps decrease swelling, it helps increase blood flow with good oxygenation, and it helps decrease bacteria,” Grossman told Inside Edition.
The former “Tonight Show” host also suffered burns on his face and chest, according to the program.
Leno was working on an 115year-old car when it burst into flames in his famous LA garage.
The “Tonight Show” host told TMZ he was fixing a clogged fuel line Saturday on his 1907 White Steam Car when gasoline sprayed on his face and hands. Almost simultaneously, a spark triggered an explosion, setting Leno on fire.
Leno said his buddy Dave quickly smothered the flames, preventing even more severe injuries.
Leno, who was scheduled to undergo another surgical procedure this week, has been walking around, cracking jokes and sharing cookies at the Grossman Burn Center, the doctor said. He faces a lengthy recovery, but Dr. Peter Grossman noted that “as I’m getting to know Jay, I don’t think it’s gonna be months. I think he’s the kind of guy who’s just gonna move forward.”
He added that the scars will “definitely be visible for the foreseeable future,” adding, “We hope that in the future they will be minimal — visible or maybe not at all.”
Wednesday, Grossman described Leno’s injuries as “serious” but said that “his condition is good.”