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Burns
Summary
A burn is damage to your body’s tissues caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or radiation. Scalds from hot liquids and steam, building fires and flammable liquids and gases are the most common causes of burns. Another kind is an inhalation injury, caused by breathing smoke.
There are three types of burns:
- First-degree burns damage only the outer layer of skin
- Second-degree burns damage the outer layer and the layer underneath
- Third-degree burns damage or destroy the deepest layer of skin and tissues underneath
Burns can cause swelling, blistering, scarring and, in serious cases, shock, and even death. They also can lead to infections because they damage your skin’s protective barrier. Treatment for burns depends on the cause of the burn, how deep it is, and how much of the body it covers. Antibiotic creams can prevent or treat infections. For more serious burns, treatment may be needed to clean the wound, replace the skin, and make sure the patient has enough fluids and nutrition.
NIH: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Treatments and Therapies
- Aloe Vera National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Blisters: First Aid Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Skin graft – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
- What Do I Need in My First Aid Kit? American Academy of Family Physicians
Find an Expert
- American College of Emergency Physicians American College of Emergency Physicians
Specifics
- Avoiding Injuries from Super-Heated Water in Microwave Ovens Food and Drug Administration
- Chemical Burns: First Aid Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Electrical Burns: First Aid Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Fireworks Safety National Fire Protection Association
- Scald Burns Burn Institute
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Burn and Scald Prevention United States Fire Administration
- Preventing Burns in Your Home American Academy of Family Physicians
Diagnosis and Tests
- Burn Evaluation National Library of Medicine
Statistics and Research
- Burn Incidence and Treatment in the U.S. American Burn Association
- Fire and Burn Injuries Among Children in 2020 Safe Kids Worldwide
Videos and Tutorials
- Burn Prevention for Families with Children with Special Needs Safe Kids Worldwide
Children
- Burn Safety Awareness on Playgrounds: Thermal Burns from Playground Equipment Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Burns (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- First Aid: Burns Nemours Foundation
- Treating and Preventing Burns American Academy of Pediatrics
Patient Handouts
- Burns Medical Encyclopedia
- Chemical burn or reaction Medical Encyclopedia
- Minor burns – aftercare Medical Encyclopedia
- Skin graft Medical Encyclopedia
Start Here
- Burns American College of Emergency Physicians
- What Is a Burn? National Institute of General Medical Sciences
NIH MedlinePlus Magazine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Burns National Institutes of Health
Related Issues
- How to Help a Person with a Serious Burn Injury Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
Encyclopedia
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy Medical Encyclopedia
- Minor burn – first aid – series — Procedure, part 1 Medical Encyclopedia