Burns
Care and safety for a burn
What is a burn?
A burn is an injury caused by exposure to heat or flame, it also could become red and painful through exposure to the sun.
First degree burn
The first level of a burn is, a first-degree burn, they affect only the outer layer of the skin. Also they cause pain, redness, and swelling.
Second Dregee Burn
Second-degree (partial thickness) burns affect both the outer and underlying layer of skin. They cause pain, redness, swelling, and blistering.
Third Degree Burn
In a full-thickness or third-degree burn, the injury extends to all layers of the skin.
Fourth Degree Burn
A fourth-degree burn additionally involves injury to deeper tissues, such as muscle or bone.
Most Common Burns
Treatment for Burns
The treatment required depends on the severity of the burn. Superficial burns may be managed with little more than simple pain relievers, while major burns may require prolonged treatment in specialized burn centers. Cooling with tap water may help relieve pain and decrease damage; however, prolonged exposure may result in low body temperature. Partial-thickness burns may require cleaning with soap and water, followed by dressings. It is not clear how to manage blisters, but it is probably reasonable to leave them intact. Full-thickness burns usually require surgical treatments, such as skin grafting. Extensive burns often require large amounts of intravenous fluids because the subsequent inflammatory response will result in significant capillary fluid leakage and edema. The most common complications of burns are related to infection.
Causes
Burns can be caused by dry heat (like fire), wet heat (such as steam or hot liquids), radiation, friction, heated objects, the sun, electricity, or chemicals.Thermal burns are the most common type. Thermal burns occur when hot metals, scalding liquids, steam, or flames come in contact with your skin. These are frequently the result of fires, automobile accidents, playing with matches, improperly stored gasoline, space heaters, and electrical malfunctions. Other causes include unsafe handling of firecrackers and kitchen accidents (such as a child climbing on top of a stove or grabbing a hot iron).Burns to your airways can be caused by inhaling smoke, steam, superheated air, or toxic fumes, often in a poorly ventilated space.Burns in children are sometimes traced to parental abuse.