Fact Checked
A thermal burn is a damage to your body’s skin caused by a heat source outside of the body. There are numerous causes of this kind of injury and can be life-threatening and cause complications. There are different stages or degrees of a thermal burn and they are: superficial, partial thickness, and full thickness burns.
To identify and classify the burn, you need to know how much damage the burn has dealt and how many layers of skin it has damaged.
- A superficial burn affects only the top layer of the skin, the epidermis.
- A partial thickness burn affects the top layer and the underlying layer of the skin.
- A full thickness burn affects all layers of the skin and can cause complications.
What are the causes of a thermal burn?
- Scalds from hot liquids
- Direct exposure to heat
- Electricity
- Fires
- Chemicals
- Sunburns
Signs and symptoms
- For first-degree burns, the skin may be painful to the touch, red, and noticeably moist.
- As for second-degree burns, the skin is painful, discolored red, the hairs are either still intact or burned off completely, blisters may form, the skin is noticeably moist, or in extreme cases: you may not feel any pain because the nerve endings were destroyed by the burn.
- For third-degree burns, it will be painless as nerve endings were destroyed, the skin will appear as white or charred, dry, and leathery. Limbs may be not movable because most nerves are destroyed and may develop gangrene and eventually lead to amputation to prevent it from spreading.
Management
- Cool the burn by running it under cold water for at least five (5) minutes or until the pain subsides, however, if running isn’t available then opt for cold compress instead.
- Secure and cover the burn with a clean and sterile bandage or dressing, do not apply any ointments on the skin to prevent infection.
- Take over-the-counter pain medication if the pain causes too much discomfort.
When to seek medical attention
- Signs of infection arise from the burn such as the discharge of pus, increase of pain, or swelling.
- Pain doesn’t go away after a couple of hours.
- The burn blisters are large.
- A tetanus shot is necessary if you haven’t taken yours in the previous five (5) years.
More Information
The details posted on this page on a thermal burn is for learning purposes only. To learn to properly manage this type of burn, enroll in a first aid course with one of our training providers.
FACT CHECK
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/thermal-heat-or-fire-burns-treatment#1