The skin is made up of the epidermis and dermis and these in turn are made up of cell layers. The categorisation of burns is based on the level of damage to the skin, i.e. how deep into the skin the causative agent ‘reached’.
The skin is made up of the epidermis and dermis and these in turn are made up of cell layers. The categorisation of burns is based on the level of damage to the skin, i.e. how deep into the skin the causative agent ‘reached’.
A burn is one of the most serious traumatic injuries a person can suffer and therefore requires immediate treatment by a specialist medical team. It is often underestimated and this is because we do not know that the skin is the largest organ in our body, making up 16% of our weight, and is responsible for maintaining our homeostasis. The skin is a barrier to heat loss, water and electrolyte loss and is a major barrier to microbes.
From the above it is clear that burns are not a superficial and localised damage but an entity that affects the whole body and its organs, in fact constituting a disease (the burn disease).
Another aspect to bear in mind when talking about burns is that healing takes place by scarring. Often these scars are misshapen and ricocheting, causing not only a hideous sight but also functional disturbances. It is therefore clear that such a disease, depending on its characteristics (extent, depth, age of the burn victim, etc.), can lead from complete healing to death.
In developed societies 77 % of burns are caused by flames, 13 % by hot water, 5,1 % by contact burns, 3 % by electrical burns and 1,9 % by chemical burns.
The skin is made up of the epidermis and dermis, which in turn are made up of cell layers. The categorisation of burns is based on the level of damage to the skin, i.e. how deep into the skin the causative agent “reached”. Thus we have partial-thickness which in turn are divided into partial superficial and partial deep and full-thickness. The dermis contains epithelial cells responsible for the continuous renewal and regeneration of the skin. This means in practice that partial-thickness burns can heal on their own, in other times, depending on the depth and provided that these living cells are not destroyed by dehydration or contamination. In full-thickness burns where there is destruction of all epithelial cells, healing can only occur from the epithelial cells at the burn boundary at a very slow rate, which means that surgical intervention and coverage, usually with a skin graft, will probably be necessary.
In thermal burns the depth of damage is a function of both the temperature of exposure and the duration of exposure.
What are the factors that will lead the burn victim to a specialist centre?
What are the factors that indicate the severity of a burn?
Three factors endanger the life of the burn victim. These are inhalation burn, burn shock and contamination.
It was mentioned above which are the signs that will lead us to the hospital. But until we get there, what can we do (for thermal burns)?
