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Burn Injuries

Home > Illnesses and Disabilities Home > Types of Illnesses & Disabilities > Burn Injuries

Burns can be caused by:

• dry heat (such as fire)
• wet heat (such as steam or hot liquids)
• electricity
• chemicals
• radiation
• the sun

Burns are described as first, second, or third degree, depending on how deep the injury is. First-degree burns affect only the outer layer of skin. Second-degree burns affect both the outer and middle layers of skin. Third-degree burns involve all three layers of skin and usually destroy other tissues as well, such as nerve endings.

Deep burns or burns that cover a large area of the body are best treated at burn centers. These are hospitals that are specially equipped and staffed to care for burn victims.

If you have a large or deep burn, your doctor may cover it with a skin graft. This could be a piece of skin from a healthy part of your body. Artificial skin has been developed recently and can also be used to replace burned skin. Burned skin can be replaced anytime within several days of the burn.

After receiving a skin graft, you may need physical therapy to keep your joints in the burned area from "freezing up" as the wound heals. Severe burns can take a long time to heal—sometimes years. Also, despite receiving a skin graft, you may wind up with scars. For these reasons, people with severe burns can become depressed. Depression often can be treated with antidepressant medicines or talk therapy or both.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Aloe Vera - This fact sheet explains what aloe vera is, how it is used, and side effects and cautions.

   http://nccam.nih.gov/health/aloevera/

2.   Burns - This on-line tutorial explains how the skin works, what happens when the skin is burned, and the symptoms of a burn.

   http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/burns/htm/index.htm

3. Avoiding Household Burns (Copyright © ACEP) - This fact sheet lists do’s and don’ts to follow to avoid household burns. It also says what to do to treat burns if one should occur.

   http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25990

4. Burns: First Aid (Copyright © MFMER) - This fact sheet provides useful information on what to do if you or someone you know accidentally burns their skin. It provides different advice depending on the severity of the burn.

   http://mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-burns/FA00022

5. Burns: Preventing Burns in Your Home (Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians) - This publication on burns provides information on fire safety, and discusses what you or your family should do in case of a fire and how to prevent other fires and burns in your home.

   http://familydoctor.org/649.xml

Organizations

1.   National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIAMS, NIH, HHS
2. American Burn Association
3. American College of Emergency Physicians
4. Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated May 15, 2008.