Skin burns – types, treatment, complication, aftercare

Burns can be very painful but you need to know its various types to treat it accordingly. Here's what you need to know.

By: Dr Kiran Lohia | | Updated: February 25, 2015 1:51 am

Burns are no doubt painful to deal with and can not just cause physical pain but mental agony too long after the incident is over. Depending on the degree of burn you have suffered, the treatment option, care, and complications vary. American Dermatologist Dr Kiran Lohia, MD and Medical Director of Lumiere Dermatology, New Delhi, tells us all about burns to treat them effectively. Also Read - Never try these home remedies for burns

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Burns are caused by heat, such as from a fire, steam, hot liquid or direct contact with a hot object. They can also be caused by radiation, electricity and by certain chemicals. There are three different classifications of burns:

1 – Superficial or 1st degree, meaning it only involves the top layer of the skin known as the epidermis. The skin will be painful, red and hot, but turns white when touched.

2 – Partial thickness or 2nd degree involves the epidermis and part of the second layer known as the dermis. These burns are painful, red and with blisters. If these burns take up a large percentage of the dermis, then the burn may not be painful because the nerves may be destroyed, and the hair may also be burned off.

3 – Full thickness or 3rd degree burn involves the full thickness of the epidermis and the dermis, so the nerve endings, sweat glands, hair follicles, blood vessels are all completely destroyed. This means that there will be no pain or touch sensation, it will be white coloured or burned looking and completely dry. In some cases, the subcutaneous tissue (the area under the skin) as well as bone may get involved, making the burn even more severe.

Treatment options for burns

The treatment of burns depends on how severe it is. A 1st degree burn can be treated at home, provided it does not affect a large proportion of the hands, feet, groin, butt, face or major joint.

A second degree burn can also be treated at home as long as it is no more than 3 inches or 7.6 cm in diameter.

All other burns need to be treated by a doctor or in a hospital at the earliest.

Treating burns at home

First of all, don’t put ice on the burn. Instead, hold the burned area or immerse it under cool, running water for 10-15 minutes. Then you should cover it with gauze bandage loosely so as to avoid putting pressure on already scalded skin. And finally, if you are having pain, disprin or calpol is more than enough to reduce it while waiting for it to heal on its own.

Complications of burns

There are many complications of burns. For example, infections can occur because your skin integrity has been damaged, allowing pathogens to enter into your body. There can also be scarring on the skin which may be atrophic, meaning thin and wrinkly appearing, hypertrophic, meaning thick, or keloidal, meaning thicker and larger than the burn was originally.

Pigmentation is also common in burns with dark marks often discolouring the skin’s appearance. You can even see depigmentation, where the colour of the skin will be white or mottled where the burn occurred.

Finally, bone and joint problems can also be seen in deeper burns that have occurred on joints or deep down to the bone. This is because scar tissue creates contractures, making skin, muscles and tendons shorten, thereby permanently pulling joints out of position.

Aftercare

After a burn heals, remember to apply sunscreen on the area for the next year, because it has a higher likelihood of getting pigmented from the sun.

Also, don’t apply any home remedies such as egg whites or butter on the burn because they can cause your burn to get infected.

Finally, don’t lance blisters because broken blisters have a higher tendency to get infected.

Image source: Getty Images

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Published : September 3, 2014 6:28 pm | Updated:February 25, 2015 1:51 am

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