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Burns
Alternate Names : First Degree Burn, Second Degree Burn, Third Degree Burn
DefinitionThere are three levels of burns:
- First-degree burns affect only the outer layer of the skin. They cause pain, redness, and swelling.
- Second-degree burns affect both the outer and underlying layer of skin. They cause pain, redness, swelling, and blistering.
- Third-degree burns extend into deeper tissues. They cause white or blackened, charred skin that may be numb.
Pictures & Images
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Overview & Considerations
Before giving first aid, evaluate how extensively burned the person is and try to determine the depth of the most serious part of the burn. Then, treat the entire burn accordingly. If in doubt, treat it as a severe burn.
By giving immediate first aid before professional medical help arrives, you can help lessen the severity of the burn. Prompt medical attention to serious burns can help prevent scarring, disability, and deformity. Burns on the face, hands, feet, and genitals can be particularly serious.
Children under age 4 and adults over age 60 have a higher chance of complications and death from severe burns.
In case of a fire, you and the others there are at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Anyone with symptoms of headache, numbness, weakness, or chest pain should be tested.
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Jump to another section
• Definition
• Burns: Overview & Considerations
• Burns: Causes
• Burns: Symptoms & Signs
• Burns: Prevention
• Burns: First Aid
• Burns: Do Not
• Call Immediately for Emergency Medical Assistance if
• Pictures & Images
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Review Date : 8/6/2003
Reviewed By : A.D.A.M. editorial. Previously reviewed by Boaz Rosenblat, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (11/18/2001).
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