Burns

A burn is damage to the skin and sometimes to the underlying tissues. Burns are categorized according to the depth and extent of the damage to the skin:

* Superficial burn (also called first-degree burn)
o Mildest type of burn
o Often caused by ultraviolet light, or very short ("flash") flame exposure
o Affects only the outer layer of the skin (epidermis)
o Normally does not cause scarring
o Takes about 3-6 days to heal
* Superficial partial-thickness burn (also called second-degree burn)
o Often caused by a scald (spill or splash) or short ("flash") flame exposure
o Affects the outer layer of the skin more deeply, usually causing blistering
o May or may not cause scarring, but often does cause long-term skin color changes
o Takes about 1-3 weeks to heal
* Deep partial-thickness burn (also called second-degree burn)
o Often caused by a scald (spill), may involve flame, oil, or grease
o Affects the outer and underlying layer of skin (dermis), causing blistering
o Usually causes scarring
o Usually takes more than three weeks to heal
* Full-thickness burn (also called third-degree burn)
o Very serious
o Often caused by scald (immersion), may involve flame, steam, oil, grease, chemicals, or high-voltage electricity
o Damages all layers of the skin, and may involve the tissues underneath (muscle and bone)
o Causes scarring
o Will heal only at the wound edges by scarring, unless skin grafting is done