Contents:
- Medical Video: Burns: Classification and Treatment
- Level of degree of burns plus how to handle it
- First-degree burns
- Second degree burns
- Third degree burns
Medical Video: Burns: Classification and Treatment
Burns are one of the most common household injuries. Often because of being hit by a metal plate of iron, the exhaust of a car or motorcycle, until it splashes boiling water or fire while cooking.
Burns occur because skin cells are damaged due to exposure to hot objects, electricity, or certain chemicals. Even so, not all cases of burns are exactly the same, you know! Between burns due to iron burning and burns due to being caught in a fire, for example, have different levels of severity and potential risks so the way to handle them is certainly different. Therefore, let's learn more about the degree of burns and their treatment for each.
Level of degree of burns plus how to handle it
How to deal with burns depends on the level of severity, or also called the degree of burns. The degree of burns itself is divided into three levels, namely first degree, second degree, and third degree.
The higher the degree of your burns, the more impact the body will have and the more complicated it will be. To be clearer, let's peel one by one.
First-degree burns
The degree of the first burn is also called a superficial burn. Because the skin damage that occurs is only about the epidermis or the outermost layer of skin. So, the severity is classified as the lightest and easily handled.
Signs of you experiencing first-degree burns are:
- Reddish skin.
- Inflammation or mild swelling.
- Pain that can still be arrested.
- Dry and flaking skin, usually when the burn begins to heal.
Because first-degree burns only affect the top layer of the skin, these signs usually disappear when dead skin cells begin to peel off and are replaced with new ones.
How to handle
First degree burns are easy to handle and can be done alone at home by:
- Drain cold water on the burned skin for five minutes. Avoid compressing it using ice cubes because it can aggravate burns.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to help reduce pain.
- Apply aloe gel or cold cream to soothe reddened skin.
- Apply antibiotic ointment and dressing with gauze to avoid friction with surrounding objects. Don't use cotton to cover burns. Cotton fibers can stick to the wound and even trigger infection.
First-degree wound healing is faster, around 7 to 10 days and does not leave scarring. So, your skin can still be as smooth as before.
Even if you can treat it yourself at home, you should still go to a doctor if you experience this type of burn. Especially if the area of the wound extends to more than 9 centimeters and affects the face or joints of the main body, such as the knees, heels, legs, shoulders, elbows, arms, or spine.
Second degree burns
The severity of second-degree burns tends to be more serious than the first level. The reason is, the area of damage to skin cells has begun to penetrate the epidermis to hit some of the dermis or the inner skin layer.
These burn marks usually include blisters, reddened, and sore skin. The burn area also looks wet and shiny. Sometimes, this condition can also trigger the growth of pus-filled scar tissue called exudate burns (fibrinous exudate).
How to handle
The duration of healing second degree burns can vary by person. The more severe the blisters, the longer the healing period. However, people affected by this type of burn will usually recover within 2 to 3 weeks without the growth of scar tissue.
So, immediately overcome your burns by:
- Aliri area of the skin that blisters with cold water for 15 minutes
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to help relieve pain
- Avoid covering the burn area with cotton so as not to make the infection worse
For those of you who experience this type of burn, you should always keep the burn area clean and wrap it with gauze. This aims to prevent the possibility of infection and accelerate healing.
Preferably, still consult a doctor to help heal your burns. Especially if this condition occurs in the area of the face, hands, buttocks, groin, and legs.
Third degree burns
Compared to other degrees of burns, this type of burn is the most severe. Because the damage that occurs to the skin is wider and damages the subcutaneous tissue of the skin.
Signs of you experiencing third degree burns include:
- Dark areas of white or brown arise on the skin.
- Rough and peeled skin.
- There is thickening of the skin that looks like wax and extends.
Never try to treat third-degree burns yourself because they are very susceptible to infection. We recommend that you quickly go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital to deal with your burns. Usually, doctors will recommend surgery to remove scar tissue and heal burns.
