Burn Wound Treatment in Lubbock, Texas is severe skin damage that causes the affected skin cells to die. Burns can be caused by heat, fire, high-intensity sun exposure, electrical currents, chemicals, hot water, radiation, and hot substances. The severity or degree of a burn depends on how wide and deep the burns affect the underlying skin layers. The different degrees of burns include first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree burns.
First-degree burn
First-degree burns cause minor skin damage to the outer layer of the skin. The burns are also known as superficial burns because they affect the outermost layer of skin (epidermis).
Symptoms of the first-degree burn
Symptoms of the first-degree burn
Symptoms of a first-degree burn include:
- Redness of the skin
- Minor swelling
- Mild pain
- Dry and peeling skin that occurs as the burn begins to heal
Treatment of the first-degree burn
First-degree burns usually heal within 7 to 10 days after treatment without scarring.
First-degree burns are usually treated with home care remedies because they’re not severe.
Treatments for a first-degree burn include:
- Soak the wound in cool water for about five minutes or more to reduce pain. Do not apply ice on the burn as this may make the damage worse.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief.
- Apply lidocaine with aloe vera gel or cream to soothe the skin
- Apply antibiotic ointment to protect the affected area
Second-degree burn
Second-degree burns are burns that affect both the first layer and the second layer of the skin. The damage of this burn extends beyond the epidermis into the dermis.
Symptoms of second-degree burn
Symptoms of second-degree burn
- Extreme redness around the burn area
- Skin blisters that may pop open
- Inflammation
- Whitish or splotchy skin around the affected area
- Increased pain and soreness
- Scarring
- Exudates may develop over time
Treatment of second-degree burn
Second-degree burns can take longer than three weeks to heal. Not very severe cases can take within two to three weeks to heal. There may or may not be scarring after the burn is healed.
Treatment includes:
- Soak or run the affected area under cool water for about 15 minutes or longer
- Clean the affected area with water-based treatments
- Apply antibiotic creams on the affected area
- Dress the wound and bandage it to prevent bacteria from entering. Bandaging the wound also help to make the burn heal quicker
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen to relieve your pain.
Third-degree burn
Third-degree burns are the most severe. Third-degree burn goes beyond the second layer of the skin to affect the fat layers beneath the skin. These burns are very severe and can cause severe damage to the nerves. The nerves can get so damaged that you may not feel any pain as a result of numbness.
Third-degree burns can cause severe scarring and totally damage the skin. They cause serious damage that extends from the surface of the skin to the deepest layers underneath the skin.
Symptoms of third-degree burn
Symptoms of third-degree burn
Symptoms third-degree burns include:
- Waxy and white color skin
- Charred skin
- Dark brown colored skin
- Leathery texture of skin
- Severe blisters
Treatment for third-degree burns
Third-degree burns require immediate medical treatments. The recovery time for third-degree burns could be over a month. Third-degree burns results to severe scarring that may require plastic cosmetic procedures to remove.
Treatment for third-degree burns includes:
- Taking intravenous (IV) fluids to prevent dehydration and organ failure
- Taking pain and anxiety medications such as morphine and ibuprofen
- Taking tetanus shot to prevent tetanus from entering the wound
- Taking anti-biotic to prevent bacteria from infecting the wound
- Skin grafting to replace the damaged skin and cover up the burnt area.
- Dressing and bandaging the wound to prevent bacterial infection and to aid healing
- Engaging in physical and occupational therapies such as stretching and flexibility exercises to keep the joints flexible and strengthen the bones and muscles.
Surgery
Burn Wound Treatment in Lubbock, Texas; Your doctor may recommend surgery if your condition is very severe. The location of the burn determines the type of surgery that will be done.
If the burn occurs on your face or neck, your throat may swell and shut. In this situation, your doctor will insert a tube into your windpipe to supply oxygen to your lungs.
If there is extensive severe skin burn, a skin graft may be recommended to replace the dead skin tissue caused by the burn.
Plastic surgery may also be required to remove the burn scars and improve the appearance of your skin.
Risks and Complications
Third-degree burns carry most risks such as bacteria and tetanus infections, scars, blood loss, nerve damage, and shock. Very serious cases of third-degree burns can lead to death.
Both first and second-degree burns carry risk of bacteria and tetanus infections.
A condition known as hypovolemia, whereby the body loses excess blood as a result of the burn may also occur.
A condition is known as hypothermia, whereby the body losses excess body heat from the burn may also occur.
