BURNS!

Burns Laayla Muhammad
October 17, 2007
Lecture section 401

There are too many individuals who suffer from burning accidents and are ignorant in knowing how these burns can become severe and change their lives completely. One thing I learned about anatomy and physiology is that there are three types of burns, which are categorized according to their depth of tissue involvement. All three types vary not only in their causes, but also the damage they have towards one’s skin and body. Burns can be hardly severe as getting sunburned and can become as extreme as one losing his life. Deaths resulting from burns are caused by infection, fluid loss, or toxic effects of burned dead tissue known as eschar. Burns can also lead to difficulty in breathing, which can also lead to death eventually.
One of the three types of burns is first-degree burns, also known as superficial burns. This type of burn only involves the epidermis, which is the top layer of the skin. The skin usually gets red and dry and really painful. Some swelling may also take place. An example of a first degree burn would be sunburn. Within a week, this burn begins to disappear and usually never leaves a scar.
Another type of burn is known as a second-degree burn, which is also known as a partial-thickness burn. This type of burn involves the epidermis and also part of the dermis, which is a skin layer underneath the epidermis. A second-degree burn may be red, tan, or even white and tends to be blistered up, causing great amounts of pain. The wound seems to open up and weep clear fluid, which makes the skin appear wet. . It takes a little bit longer to heal, which can be from 2 weeks to several months. This type of burn usually leaves a scar behind. At this point, the epidermis actually revives once the epithelial cells in the hair follicle and sweat glands divide. Someone may experience this type of burn from certain sunburns and many scalds, such as hot tap water or hot oil spills.
Unlike first and second-degree burns, third degree burns are much more intense and damaging. This type of burn, known as full-thickness burn, destroys the epidermis, dermis, and often most deeper tissues. It damages basically all of the layers along with any or all of the underlying structures such as fat, muscle, bones and nerves. If this burn hits the nerves then it becomes really painless, but otherwise this type of burn is extremely painful. It leaves a brown or black charred mark and the tissues underneath seem white. Third-degree burns produce hard, leather-like eschars and sometimes have purple fluid. Unlike the other types of burn, the skin will not regenerate on its own. If one is involved in this type of accident, s/he needs medical attention immediately. In order to heal, skin grafts are required because if left to heal on its own, contracture and severe disfigurement may take place.
Burns are caused through many different ways, such as heat, cold, electricity, friction, and radiation. Between the three types of burns, third-degrees burns are the most painful unless they hit nerves, making the process very painless. At each level, damaging effects and healing time varies due to the certain damages done to the layers of the skin. I have been involved in many burning incidents where I have gotten numerous first and second-degree burns. Most individuals are able to take care of themselves in these cases, where the skin eventually regenerates and heals on its own. Third-degree burns require immediate care and can lead to one’s death as well.