Types of Skin Burns essay

Burn is a damage of the skin, sometimes of tissues, muscles and bones, which occurs as the result of the skin contact with intense heat, fire, electricity or chemicals. The longer is the contact, the more is the skin burn. Burns can also be due to exposure of hot steam or fluid.

There are several degrees of burns, depending on the level of skin and tissues damage:

• First-degree burn is a superficial skin damage.It is characterized with skin redness, dryness, and sometimes swelling of the skin and light pain.  First-degree burns usually obtained as a result of minor sunburn or from contact with boiling liquid or hot vapor. They usually heal in 2 or 3 days without any medical help.
• Second-degree burns injure the top two layers of the skin (epidermis).Symptoms include skin redness, swollen, often appear blisters and bubbles. The pain from such burns can be very strong. If such burn covers more than 6 square centimeters, or there are a lot of blisters on the skin, or burns affect hands, face and groin area, it is recommended to turn to doctor for help a doctor. Skin regeneration takes few weeks, and it is necessary to take care of the burnt skin areas to prevent infection.
• Third-degree burn is a deep skin damage, sometimes a damage of the tissues, muscles, nerves, fat and even bone.They are called full-thickness burn, as involves the entire thickness of the skin. The skin may be red, white, yellow and black. These burns can be extremely heavy and painful. Burned skin can release large amounts of fluid. Any third degree burns necessarily need medical help, and currently the main method of treatment of deep burns is a recovery of lost skin, that often require skin grafting.

Speaking about medical help in cases of skin burns, the recommendations are the following:  if skin burn affect only the topmost layer of skin and the pain is not very severe, it is possible to deal with it yourself; if there are burns of 1-2 degree that are ​​more than 5 cm, burns in the groin area, it is advised to consult the doctor. Burns of the first and second degrees which cover more than 10% of the body, all burns of the third degree, burns of the face and neck require medical help or hospitalization.

In cases of chemical burns it is necessary to consult a doctor if there are blisters and severe swelling. But in the case of chemical eye burns an immediate hospitalization is necessary.

In general, burs are considered critical in such situations: if there are burns of the second degree which cover more than 25% of the body skin; if there are third degree skin burns on more than 10% of the body; there are third degree burns on face, neck or hands. Burns on the face  and neck are especially dangerous as they may can cause shortness of breath.