Skin burns are classified by the degree of the burn, i.e. according to how deep the burn damaged the skin. Critical burns include burns covering a large area of the body; burns over the hands, feet, genitals, head or neck; and burns from chemicals or electricity. Mild burns usually heal within a week, leaving no permanent scars, while more severe burns may take at least three or four weeks or longer to heal and leave scarring.
Step 1
Check the scene of a burn situation before approaching an injured victim, ensuring it is safe for you to enter and to give you an idea of the source of the burn--heat, fire, chemical, electrical or radiation--to help identify burn markings on the skin.
Step 2
Look at the affected area of the victim's skin; if the skin is dry, red or swollen with no blisters, and the victim complains of pain, it is a first-degree burn, according to the University of Utah Hospital Burn Center.
Step 3
Assess her skin closely to determine how deep the burn penetrated her skin. Check for clear fluid seeping from blisters caused by the burn; blistering skin signals a partial thickness, or second-degree burn.
Step 4
Closely check burns to see if the source of the heat damaged all the way down through to the victim's fat, muscles and bones, a sign of a third-degree burn. Observe for burned tissue underneath the skin, which may appear white. Ask if the burn is painful; if it is not painful, the burn damaged some of his nerve endings.
Step 5
Check for burns near the victim's mouth and nose, which may signal burns to her airways, according to the American Red Cross.
References
- "First Aid/CPR/AED for Schools and the Community"; American Red Cross; 2006
- University of Utah Hospital Burn Center
