The severity of burns is rated on a three-step scale based on how badly the burn damages skin and tissue.
- First-degree burns include most sunburns, but also minor scaldings from steam, such as a brief exposure to steam while cooking, or touching a hot surface briefly. These result in damage to the surface layer of skin that is normally limited to a reddening of the skin, minor pain for a while, and perhaps minor blistering.
- Second-degree burns are more serious and always result in blistering as well as damage that goes below the first layer or two of skin. Severe second-degree burns can result in scarring.
- Third-degree burns penetrate all the layers of skin and affect tissue beneath the skin, burning to the bone in extreme cases. These are the most severe burns and can be quite serious, even resulting in death.
While first-degree burns heal in a few days, and second-degree burns in a few weeks, third-degree burns usually require skin grafts and can take months to heal. Third-degree burns, in particular, can cause serious complications, including infection, severe scarring, and physical disfigurement.
Thus, third-degree burns carry not only physical, medical, and financial implications with respect to treatment and recovery, they also bring psychological implications because of the potential change in a person’s physical appearance. Also, permanent skin damage from third-degree burns can result in fragile skin, subsequent skin injuries, infections, the need for skin grafts and the possibility of skin graft failures, and other complications. This can result in the need for significant long-term care at the cost of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.
