What are burns?
Burns are injuries, usually to your skin, that are caused by heat, sunlight, electricity, radiation, or chemicals.
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Burns can cause pain, blisters, swelling, and skin loss
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Burns from heat or chemicals usually affect your skin but sometimes can affect muscles, fat, or bones
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Small, shallow burns can often be treated at home by keeping the area clean and using an antibiotic burn cream
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Deep, severe burns can cause other problems, such as shock, severe infections, and death, and often require skin grafts
See a doctor right away if your burn:
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Is large (for example, bigger than your open hand)
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Has blisters (small bumps with fluid in them)
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Darkens the color of your skin, or breaks your skin
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Is on your face, hand, foot, or genitals (sex parts)
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Isn’t completely clean
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Causes pain that isn’t helped by pain medicine, such as acetaminophen
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Causes pain that is just as bad a day or more later
What causes burns?
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Heat, such as from fire or hot liquids
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Sunlight, which causes sunburn
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Electricity, from touching an electrical wire
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Radiation, such as from radiation therapy for cancer
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Chemicals, such as those in drain cleaners or paint removers
How do doctors classify burns?
Doctors classify burns based on:
Depth of burns
Size of burns
Severity of burns
What are the symptoms of burns?
Symptoms depend on how deep your burn is:
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First-degree burns are red, swollen, and very painful.
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Second-degree burns are also red and very painful, but blisters develop. Blisters may appear right away or sometimes during the first day.
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Third-degree burns usually don't hurt much because they damage the nerves that feel pain. The burned skin feels leathery and may be white, black, or bright red.
What are the complications of burns?
Your skin keeps germs and dirt out of your body and keeps body fluids and heat in. So, with a severe burn, you may:
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Become dehydrated or go into shock
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Develop an infection of the burned area
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Develop a low body temperature (hypothermia)
Very large burns may be fatal.
Skin heals by growing new skin from its deeper layers. Shallow burns can heal on their own. However, deep burns can damage the growing layer of skin. When this growing layer is damaged:
Scar tissue is stiffer than normal skin. If scar tissue is near one of your joints, that joint will be hard to move and can be stuck in a bent position.
How do doctors treat burns?
Doctors first make sure that whatever burned you has stopped. Clothing that has melted or has chemicals on it is taken off. After that, doctors treat burns depending on the type of burn you have.
For first-degree burns (burns that are just red), you should:
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Run room temperature water from the sink on the burn
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Clean the burned area gently
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Put antibiotic ointment on the burn
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Call your doctor to see if you need a tetanus shot
If your burn is in an area covered by clothing, put a clean bandage on the burn. You don't need bandages on first-degree burns to your face.
For small second-degree burns (burns that have blisters), see a doctor. The doctor will usually:
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Clean the burn and take off any broken blisters
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Put antibiotic burn cream or a special burn dressing on the burn
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Cover the burn with a clean bandage
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Have you gently wash the burn and put on fresh antibiotic burn cream and a clean bandage every day— special burn dressings can stay on for several days
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Remove any unbroken blisters after a few days
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Have you follow up regularly to look for signs of infection and to see how your burn is healing
Minor second-degree burns typically heal in a week or two.
For severe burns, go to the hospital. The doctors may:
A skin graft is another term for skin transplant. Skin grafts may be done with:
Only grafts of your own skin are permanent. Your body eventually rejects cadaver skin, animal skin, or artificial skin. Doctors use those grafts temporarily until they can do a graft with your own skin. If you are burned over a large area, doctors may need to do several skin graft procedures.
In the hospital, as your burns heal, you may have physical therapy to keep your joints from getting stiff.
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
| Generic Name | Select Brand Names |
|---|---|
acetaminophen |
TYLENOL |
