Burns 2nd and 3rd degree

A burn is an injury that can prove to be devastating to the individual who is involved.  Burns can alter the way of life you once knew and cause drastic changes to your physical appearance if they are extensive enough.  Burns are among the most common household injuries and they are characterized by severe skin damage in which many of the affected cells will die.  A third degree burn is the worst type and requires immediate emergency medical care to prevent complications that could otherwise result in death.  Total Home Health would like to elaborate on burns in general with the main focus on second and third degree burns to provide you with insight on what these types involve.

            Causes of Burns

-  Scalding

-  Chemical burns

-  Electrical burns

-  Fires

-  Excessive sun exposure

A good point to remember is that the type of burn is not necessarily based on what caused it.  For example if you have a scalding burn, it could have caused first, second or third degree damage to the area involved.  The type of burn ultimately depends on how hot the source is and how long it makes contact with the skin.  Following are characteristics of both second and third degree burns.

            Second Degree Burns

·         Referred to as partial-thickness burns.

·         Remember your skin is composed of 3 layers.  A second degree burn will involve the first layer of the skin along with part of the second layer.

·         Damage to the skin will include blisters, redness, swelling, and some thickening.

·         If the burn is deeper, the skin may appear to be a mixture of red and waxy white, wet or moist, with no blisters.

·         The burned area will be painful.

·         Usually second degree burns will heal within 2 to 3 weeks and may result in some scarring where the area of the burn is at its deepest.

·         During your treatment course, you will be given medication to decrease your pain level and to prevent any infections, while helping you heal.

·         Surgery, if it is needed, will help to remove damaged tissue, replace or cover any skin that was lost, or relieve pressure to improve blood flow to promote healing.

·         Treatment will depend upon the age of the individual involved, their present health condition, how much of their body surface is burned, and to what depth the burns have reached.

            Third Degree Burns

·         Most severe type of burn.

·         Requires serious and immediate medical attention due to extent of injury.

·         This burn reaches to the third deepest layer of skin and beyond into the fatty tissue layer beneath the skin.

·         The muscles, tendons, ligaments and possibly even organs may be involved.

·         Areas affected by third degree burns may appear charred black or even white.

·         Skin color appears to become whiter as burn wounds get deeper.

·         Skin may also appear waxy or leathery.

·         Third degree burns can extend down into the skin to destroy nerves that will result in numbness.

·         Generally third degree burns are accompanied by very little pain or no pain at all because of the serious damage that is done to the nerves due to the depth of the burn.

·         Since this type of burn is virtually painless, it is increasingly dangerous when it comes to timing…third degree burns can lead to shock and death if medical attention is not provided timely enough.

·         If an individual is affected by this type of burn, there is also an increased risk of difficulty breathing, smoke inhalation, or carbon monoxide poisoning.

·         Treatment will require a sterile environment because the risk of infection is so high from the skin being greatly damaged.

·         Small areas of third degree burns may take months to heal.

·         There will be scarring of the skin.

·         In almost all cases of third degree burns skin grafts are necessary to heal larger areas that were burned.

Ultimately these types of burns can cause serious, life-threatening complications especially if there is failure to seek out prompt medical attention.  The health professionals that are involved in your care will use procedures and diagnostic tests to determine what percentage of your body has been burned and to what extent.  After all the important information is collected, your burn treatment will continue more specifically to your needs in order to aggressively treat your burn and to decrease the chances of it worsening or an infection setting in.    

Total Home Health has a program that is right for you relating to all your burn care and treatment.  Our professionals clearly understand how painful and devastating a burn can be and we are ready to be by your side to go through this journey with you.  Total Home Health staff will strictly adhere to your personal treatment plan in order to bring out positive results and see that your burn heals as quickly as possible, while you continue to lead the life you’ve come to love.  Enroll and let’s get started!