What Are the Different Burn Degrees?
Most common burns happen because of something that is too hot for you to handle. But burns can happen when something is too cold, or with friction, chemicals, and, of course, even the sun. Knowing how to both recognize and treat burns is important. Knowing when to get professional medical care for them can be lifesaving.
Burns are a type of injury that happens when something, usually something hot, damages the tissues of your body. They are more severe when they are deeper or cover a larger part of your body’s surface area.
Burns are quite common and unintentional. Worldwide, around 10 million people experience burns, and around 180,000 die from them every year. In the United States, almost 500,000 people receive medical care for burns each year.
How are Burns Diagnosed?
A healthcare provider can diagnose your burn by examining your injury and by asking you questions about what happened. If you are unable to answer, they might rely on input from either first responders or others who were present.
Lab and imaging tests do not help diagnose burns, but they can help catch any complications before they become severe. Blood and urine tests are important for identifying any signs of organ damage or infection. CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging can help detect deeper tissue damage, but these are not usually necessary.
Determining Burn Depth
Burn depth is officially assessed 24 hours after the injury, as blisters and other injuries might evolve. First-degree burns do not count as the total area burned.
1st Degree, Superficial Burns- Signs and symptoms are Erythematous, lack of blisters, dry, and sensitive.
In 1st degree burn injuries, your skin function remains intact, and a transfer to a burn center is not required. They do not count towards total body surface area burned.
2nd Degree, Partial Thickness Burns- Signs and symptoms are moist and weepy, pink, or red in color, blisters are present, blanch to pressure, and are quite painful. This can worsen substantially over the first 24 hours.
In 2nd degree burn injuries, your skin function is lost. Deep partial thickness injuries can easily progress to or require the same management as full thickness.
3rd Degree, Full-Thickness Burns- Signs and symptoms: skin may be dry and leathery in appearance, and to the touch, the tissue might be pale, mottled brown, black, or red, with thrombosed vessels, does not blanch to pressure, insensate, and hair may be removed easily.
With 3rd degree burns, skin function is lost, and skin grafting is necessary for functional healing. 3rd degree burns will require hospital admission.
What Complications Can Burns Lead To?
Burns will cause many complications, ranging from minor to life-threatening. Some of the most common complications include:
- Infections- Damaged skin cannot keep germs out, which is why burns are prone to infections.
- Scarring- Deeper burns might not heal easily and can form scar tissue rather than regenerating normal skin.
- Swelling, edema- It is common if you have a burn to experience some swelling, different from blisters. Severe burns can actually cause swelling in parts of your body away from the burn as well.