Burns Types

Burns are typed two ways: by what caused them, and by how deep they went. Both matter - cause decides first aid, depth decides treatment.

By cause

• Scalds: hot liquids and steam - the most common household burn; often partial-thickness; dangerous in children because their thinner skin burns deeper at the same temperature
• Flame burns: clothing and fire - often deep; watch for airway involvement
• Contact burns: touching hot metal or surfaces - usually small but can be deep
• Chemical burns: acids and alkalis; alkalis (cleaning agents) penetrate deeper than they first look - first aid is prolonged water irrigation, 20+ minutes, and a hospital visit
• Electrical burns: small entry marks, possibly serious internal injury along the current's path - heart rhythm and muscle damage are the hidden risks; always a hospital case
• Radiation burns: sunburn (first-degree) to radiotherapy reactions
• Friction burns: skin scraped on roads - burn plus wound; needs cleaning care like a wound

By depth (the classification doctors use)

• First-degree (superficial): epidermis only - red, dry, painful, no blisters (sunburn pattern)
• Second-degree, superficial partial-thickness: into upper dermis - blisters, moist, very painful, blanches when pressed; heals in about 2 weeks
• Second-degree, deep partial-thickness: deeper dermis - paler, less blanching, less sensation; heals slowly, scars; often needs surgical help
• Third-degree (full-thickness): entire skin destroyed - white/brown/black, leathery, painless center; needs hospital care and usually skin grafting
• Fourth-degree: into fat, muscle, bone - major trauma care

The classical classification

Sushruta's Dagdha grading ran by depth too: Twag-dagdha (skin only - discolored, painful), Mamsa-dagdha (into muscle - blistered, severe), and deeper grades involving vessels and beyond, with prognosis worsening by grade. The framework - judge the depth, then judge the patient - has not changed in two millennia.

One-line summary

Scald, flame, contact, chemical, electrical, radiation, friction - cause shapes first aid; first, second, third degree - depth shapes treatment; learn both before the emergency, not during.