Chemical: Caused by contact with highly acidic or basic substances.Radiation: Caused by prolonged exposure to sources of UV radiation such as sunlight (sunburn), tanning booths, or sunlamps or by X-rays, radiation therapy or radioactive fallout.Electrical: Caused by contact with electrical sources or, in much more rare circumstances, by lightning strike.Thermal: Caused by fire, hot objects, steam or hot liquids (scalding).Etiologyīurns can be caused by a large variety of external factors. Blanching of the skin will occur when it is lightly pressed. With superficial burns, the skin will typically be red (erythema), swollen, dry, itchy, and sensitive to the touch. Symptoms of Superficial (First-Degree) Burns The following approximations can be used for adults:Īdditionally, the palm (not including the fingers or wrist area) is approximately 1% of the total surface area of the body, and can be used to approximate noncontiguous burn areas. Partial- or full-thickness burns on more than 15% of the body require immediate professional medical attention. The "rule of nines" is a method of approximation used to determine what percentage of the body is burned. This is important in that the epidermis helps regulate temperature and protects the body from infection.Īnother contributing factor to burn severity is how much of the body is affected. Superficial, or first-degree burns only affect the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin), and typically the epidermis remains intact. For a comparison of the two classification systems, see the table below. For the sake of this article, burns will be described by thickness. However, a more precise classification system referring to the thickness or depth of the wound is now more commonly used. Traditionally, burns are characterized by degree, with first being least severe and third being most. Most burns only affect the uppermost layers of skin, but depending on the depth of the burn, underlying tissues can also be affected. Burns can vary in severity from mild to life-threatening. A burn is an injury to the tissue of the body, typically the skin.
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