Burn injuries are severe problems that can affect a person’s health in both the short and long term. Regardless of the severity of the injury, it is important for the victim to get immediate and appropriate treatment.
To understand the treatment needed, it is important to understand the categories that burn injuries fall into.
First degree burns
Mayo Clinic discusses burn injuries and potential treatment. Burn injuries fall into three categories: first, second and third degree burns. First include the most mild of injuries, while third include the most severe.
First degree burns often leave the skin feeling tight and painful to the touch. The skin itself often turns red and may peel over time during the healing process. Many sunburns fall into this category.
These burns will not typically blister and will take the least amount of time to fully heal. They do not tend to leave scars. Over the counter pain relief and soothing creams or gels often make up the treatment plan for theses injuries.
Second and third degree burns
Second degree burns, or partial thickness burns, do tend to involve blistering and can affect multiple layers of the flesh. These burns are more serious, but do not count as severe burns unless on the face or larger than 3 inches in diameter.
Second degree burns feel painful even without direct contact to the injury itself. If not treated correctly, they may become infected or scar.
Third degree burns are the most severe, and one of any size on any location constitutes a serious injury. These burns easily lead to infection, necrosis, sepsis, loss of tissue and intense scarring if not treated quickly.