Are you curious about what causes burns?
Every year, around 180,000 people lose their lives to severe burn injuries. Victims of non-fatal burns aren’t so lucky as these burns are the leading cause of morbidity. You may even experience some side effects depending on the source of the burns.
All burns are treatable, though. There’s a high chance that you avoid being in a fatal situation if you and the people around you act fast. What’s better is that all burns are preventable if you know what to avoid.
Read what’s below to learn the common causes of burns and injuries associated with them. We’ll also help you learn the basics, like the different degrees of burns and what you can do to treat them.
Different Degrees of Burns
Professionals classify burns in four different groups, called degrees. The severity of the burn will determine what degree it’s placed in. Here’s how you can determine how severe burns are.
1st Degree
These burns are only superficial, which means they only affect the first layer of skin. The epidermis often becomes dry and will be slightly reddish in terms of color. They’re painful to the touch but will often heal in time.
First-degree burns don’t produce any blisters. The damage on the skin isn’t enough to elicit that response from the body.
2nd Degree
These burns spread to the second layer of your skin. They also damage your dermis, leaving you with areas that are painful even when not touched. It appears as right red, and the burnt area will always swell.
Second-degree burns will often have blisters. These are sacs that fill up with either blood or pus. In the case of burns, they’re often the clear part of your blood, called serum.
There are two types of second-degree burns. Having a superficial second-degree burn means you only have damage on your dermis. You won’t have to worry about the burn leaving a scar on the damaged area for the most part.
Deep partial-thickness burns are the more severe type of second-degree burns. They can leave scars and may even cause permanent damage to your skin.
3rd Degree
Also known as full-thickness burns, this damages both layers of your skin. It’s also possible that you experience damage on the deeper layers of tissue in the affected area.
The burnt area will often vary in color. It will depend on the intensity of the burn and where the damaged area is. A third-degree burn can appear as white, black, or yellow.
This can also damage your nerve endings. Despite this, these burns remain painful and will cause great discomfort.
4th Degree
These burns are the most life-threatening ones around. You can expect damage to all layers of your skin. It can even go deeper and damage your muscles, tendons, and even your bones.
Seek medical attention as soon as you can in this case. The affected areas may become infected if left exposed for too long. You also run the risk of having bone and joint problems in the future.
This is why a lot of people consider acute burns as a chronic disease. The damage it does to your body causes you to make a lot of changes in your lifestyle.
Common Causes of Burn Injuries
As mentioned above, it’s easy to prevent yourself from getting burn injuries. While not all scenarios are easily preventable, you can still prevent yourself from getting nasty burns. Here are the most common causes of burns.
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Fire
Fire-related burns are often the most common cause of injuries. How severe these are will depend on two factors. First is how long you’re exposed to the source.
Sources can vary. Often, gasoline fires happen most frequently in homes. These can happen when pouring gasoline over a flame when homeowners are building a bonfire.
Fireworks and accidents around lighter fluid also count as fire-related burns. These sources can linger for a long time, potentially causing severe damage. The second factor that determines the damage is the intensity of the heat.
If you’re a good distance away from the flame, the intensity greatly decreases. If the fire is large, though, it can radiate intense heat, which can still cause burns.
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Hot Liquids
Hot liquid can scald your body. These kinds of burns happen a lot in kitchens. Hot water and hot oil can cause severe burns, with the latter often causing third-degree burns.
Burns from intense steam also count as burns caused by hot liquids. The nature of liquids often causes these to be large-area burns. Liquids can spread and damage a good portion of your body if you’re not careful.
You’re entitled to compensation when these burns happen to you. It will depend on the situation, though. For example, if you experienced hot oil burns, you may have a potential burn injury lawsuit if the management didn’t train you on how to handle it properly in the first place.
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Hot Surfaces
Hot surfaces can also cause you to sustain severe burns. Furnaces, ovens, and some pipelines may scald you depending on the factors mentioned above.
Unlike hot liquids, these are more controlled. You won’t risk spreading the burn as long as you stay away from the source. Depending on the setting and scenario, you can hire a burn injury lawyer to help you get compensation.
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Electrical Currents
Active electric currents can also cause you to get third or fourth-degree burns. These often come from energized wires or machines that use electricity.
Electrical burns are dangerous since they can cause your heart to beat irregularly or stop. They can also affect your responsiveness to the situation. You may not get away from the source since your legs won’t move from electrocution.
You can have a claim for damages in this case. There should be signs telling you to avoid live wires or machines run by electricity. As a contractor, it’s the responsibility of the homeowner to cut off the area from the grid before you start working.
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Extreme Radiation
Ultraviolet radiation often causes first-degree burns in the form of sunburns. This is when your skin becomes rubbery. It often causes your skin to lose its elasticity properties for the duration of the damage.
It’s rare that UV rays can cause anything above a second-degree burn. Other forms of radiation may do this, though. Heavy doses of x-rays can do this, as well as cause some nasty side effects.
That scenario can have you entitled to compensation. The operator should be careful not to administer a dangerous dose of radiation.
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Strong Chemicals
Certain chemicals can cause severe burns to your skin and even to your lungs. Some chemicals may disperse into fumes that you can inhale. This can destroy your airways, making it difficult for you to breathe.
These types of burns often happen because of spills and accidents. In bad cases, they can eat away at your skin as they burn it. It’s important to wash off the chemicals immediately to prevent this from happening.
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Car Accidents
Car accidents can cause different types of burns. They can cause abrasion burns when you’re launched out of the vehicle and into the rough pavement. These are painful, and it’s important to get them washed to remove any dirt that may have entered the area.
Car fires can also burn you badly. These are even more dangerous if they manifest close to the fuel tank.
Regardless of how it happens, these burns can entitle you to compensation, too. You only need a good car accident lawyer to help you through the process.
How to Treat Burn Injuries
Treatment will depend on the severity of the burns. Lower-level burns (first and second-degree) need immediate relief even if they aren’t that serious. Immerse the burned area in cold water or apply a cold compress.
Wrap the damaged area in sterile gauze to prevent anything from touching it. If blisters appear, don’t pop them as it will only leave the area more susceptible to infections.
When it comes to high-level burns, surgery is often the main course of treatment. Skin grafts are often required to replace any part of the body that’s burned away.
Should You Visit a Doctor?
For first and second-degree burns don’t require immediate medical attention. The process mentioned above can help you with the pain. You can visit the doctor to get ointments and creams to help in recovery.
Higher degree burns will need immediate medical attention. This is because the body will often go to shock from these burns. Medical professionals will know what to do to prevent the individual’s condition from getting worse.
Prevent Burns From Getting Any Worse
Many things can cause severe burn injuries, but prevention is easy if you know what to avoid. Learn the causes of burns and take caution whenever around those sources today!
Looking to learn more about different injuries and what you can do about them? We have more guides and articles for you to check out! Read them and learn a thing or two today!