First Aid for Burns

First Aid for BurnsAmerican Institute for Preventive Medicine Burns can result from dry heat (fire), moist heat (steam, hot liquids), electricity, chemicals, and radiation (i.e., sunlight). Treatment for burns depends on: The depth of the burn (whether it is first, second, or third degree). How much area of the body is affected. The location of the burn.First degree burns affect only the outer skin layer. The area appears dry, red, and mildly swollen. A first degree burn is painful and sensitive to touch. Mild sunburn and brief contact with a heat source such as a hot iron are examples of first degree burns. First degree burns should feel better within a day or two. They should heal in about a week if there are no other problems. (See "First Aid Procedures for First Degree Burns".) Second degree burns affect the skin's lower layers as well as the outer skin. They are painful, swollen, and show redness and blisters. The skin also develops a weepy, watery surface. Examples of second degree burns are severe sunburn, burns caused by hot liquids and a flash from gasoline. First aid procedures can be used to treat many second degree burns depending on their location and how much area is affected. (See "Questions to Ask" and "First Aid Procedures for Second Degree Burns".) Third degree burns affect the outer and deeper skin layers as well as any underlying tissue and organs. They appear black and white and charred. The skin is swollen and underlying tissue is often exposed. The pain felt with third degree burns may be less than with first or second degree burns. There can also be no pain at all when nerve endings are destroyed. Pain may be felt around the margin of the affected area, however. Third degree burns usually result from electric shocks, burning clothes, severe gasoline fires and the like. They always require emergency treatment. They may result in hospitalization and sometimes require skin grafts.