What is a burn?
A burn is a type of injury to the skin, or other body tissue, caused by heat, electricity, radiation, friction, or chemicals. Burns can cause varying degrees of damage depending on the severity. Minor burn injuries may cause redness and some swelling, whereas more severe burns may cause blistering and extensive skin damage. The main treatment for a burn is to keep the wound cool and dry until it has been fully assessed by a medical professional. Depending on the degree of the burn, additional care may be required for a full recovery. It is important to seek medical care for any burn immediately.
Common facts about the burn:
Burn injuries are an incredibly common issue. They are the third leading cause of accident-related death in all countries. It affects people of all ages. Various factors are there that can cause this burn injury. There is more risk for children to get accidental burns. Fortunately, a wide range of treatments is available for burns. Skin grafts or other reconstructive surgeries are available to treat severe burn cases.
Types of burn:
Based on severity, healthcare providers explained it into three types. First, second and third degrees, and each degree explains the severity of the skin damage. The first degree is minor, but the third is the most severe. Below details are the symptoms that show the degree of burn injuries.
First-degree burn:
First-degree burn injuries cause mild skin damage, such as sunburn. It only damages the upper layer of the skin. The skin turns red color and gives more pain with minor swelling. It takes 7-10 days to heal, and the affected area peels. If the affected area is over three inches, you should visit the doctor.
Home care is another option for treating first-degree burns. You can soak the wound for five minutes in cold water for a small area burn. You can soothe your skin using aloe vera gel or some antibiotic ointment on the affected area. You get a quicker result when you start treating this burn.
Don’t use ice and any cotton balls on that burn area. The small cotton fibers can cause infection, and you will get more pain then.
Second-degree burn:
Second-degree burns are more dangerous than first-degree. The top and lower skin layers are affected by this second-degree burn. Skin becomes redder and swollen with more pain. Blisters can occasionally break open, giving a burn a wet surface. Over time, a thick, soft tissue that resembles a scab may form over the wound.
The wound becomes so soft and wet. To stop infection, first, clean that area and bandage that properly.
It takes a longer time to heal from second-degree burns. The healing time depends upon the blisters. If the blisters are worse, then skin grafting can fix the issue.
Before reaching the hospital, start your treatment from home. You can place that affected area below cool running water for a minimum of 15 minutes. Then you can apply antibiotic cream to your skin.
Third-degree burns:
Third-degree burns are the most severe, as they affect all three skin layers. This burn damages the nerve endings, destroying the sweat glands and hair follicles. Third-degree burns are so painful. The burn area skin looks black or red with a leather touch feeling. In some conditions, skin becomes waxy with a white color appearance. Many doctors prefer surgery to treat these third-degree burns. There is no perfect time limit to healing burns in this period.
If you get this third-degree burn, don’t go through any home treatment and go to the hospital immediately.
How to avoid all degrees of burns?
The best way to avoid burns is to stop them from happening. Some jobs are where there is a maximum chance of burns, but most burn cases happen at home only. We all know that burn is also an accidental case. By following these steps, you can reduce the chances of burns.
- Always set the water heater temperature below 100 degrees Celsius.
- Before bathing your child, test the water temperature.
- Keep all chemicals and lighters in a safe place only.
- Every 10 years, replace the smoke detectors.
- Wear gloves before using any chemicals.
How to diagnose burns?
Your healthcare provider first examines the burn to check the stage of the burn degree. They make an educated guess as to the depth and proportion of the body that the burn will affect. The burn stage is then categorized as follows.
The minor stage:
First-stage and second-stage degree burns go under the minor stage. This minor stage burn heals rapidly, and the patient rarely needs hospitalization. The burn covers less than 10% of the whole body.
The moderate stage:
If the patient’s body symptoms show second-degree burns and the body is covered with more than 10% burns, then it is a moderate stage. Patients need time to heal from this through the doctor’s treatment.
The severe stage:
A third-degree burn is a severe stage. It is a severe case if 1% or more of the body is covered with third-degree burns. Doctors may go with skin grafting or different surgery to heal the patient’s skin.
Management and treatment of burn –
Depending on the severity, the burn treatment varies. Just clean the burn area and cover it with proper bandages to manage the burn. Check that burn area regularly.
If you find any infection, then consult with your doctor.
Treatment as per the burn types:
- To treat the first-degree burns, place it under cool running water, but don’t use any ice there. If you have any sunburn, you can apply aloe vera gel or any sunscreen. You can use antibiotic cream over the affected areas if the burn happens through any thermal.
- As per the doctor’s prescription, you can use a stronger antibiotic cream to treat second-degree burns. That will help to kill bacteria and reduce the chances of infection.
- To treat third-degree burns, you need to stay at the hospital only. To treat the injured area, doctors may do skin grafting. Using healthy skin from another area of the patient’s body, the doctor replaces the damaged tissue from the affected location.
Conclusion:
Burn is an accidental case. Children and older adults get affected mostly by burns. All kinds of burns need proper treatment to stop infection growth and get earlier healing. We have experienced professionals who check your every issue and help to heal earlier with their treatment. You can consult with KBK multispecialty hospital if you need burns treatment.
Dr Saurabh Garge is the top pediatric surgeon and urologist in Indore He is a specialist in pediatric Laparoscopic and urology surgery Book appointment now
Burn injuries are some of the most painful and difficult injuries to treat.
As much as it sounds scary, it is actually scary, and it might be the last thing anyone would ever expect in his or her life.
Burn injury accidents are basically a result of another party's negligence, but the one who suffers the most is the victim.
It is the main reason why victims hire Florida burn injury lawyers who can help them in penalizing the negligent party.
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