Practice

Blog

News

Library

Burn Injuries (Part A)

There are many types of injuries that commonly result from accidents. A car accident victim for example may experience lacerations, broken bones, head trauma, nerve damage, and internal injuries. But one of the most common types of bodily trauma is burn injuries, and they can occur from a wide variety of accident types.

More than 1 million Americans suffer some type of burn injury every year according to the American Burn Association. The vast majority of burns are caused by one or more of 5 forces:

• heat
• electricity
• chemicals
• sunlight
• radiation

There are numerous different ways that Americans suffer burn injuries. Some of the most frequently-occurring are:

• scalding hot water
• candles
• lighters & matches
• building fires
• car accidents
• gasoline spills
• fuel explosions
• electrical mishaps
• industrial accidents

Superficial Burns (1^st Degree Burns)

The least severe type of burn injury is known as a superficial (or first-degree) burn. This type of burn injury occurs when only the epidermis, or outer layer of skin, is affected. With most superficial burns, the affected area is not permanently damaged.

Superficial burns can be quite painful; however, most of these kinds of burn injuries are fully healed in a week or less. Usually, only topical treatments are needed to treat the skin and soothe the victim's pain.

Dermal Burns (2^nd Degree Burns)

Sometimes, burn injuries can occur below the outer layer of skin. These burns are classified as dermal (or superficial partial thickness) burns, or more colloquially as second-degree burns. Dermal burns are so named because the second layer of skin, known as the dermis, is damaged. As you might assume, dermal burns are accompanied by more pain than with superficial burns and also take longer to heal.

In addition, there is a significant amount of variance among dermal burns because your dermis is anywhere from between 15 and 40 times thicker than the epidermis. So while some minimal dermal burns may heal much like superficial burns do, most burn injuries in this category will leave scarring to some degree even after they completely heal.

Continue to Next Page >>

The Law Offices of
Barry G. Doyle, P.C.
5215 Old Orchard Road
Suite 710
Skokie, IL 60077
Phone: 312.263.1080
Fax: 312.263.0153

Proudly Serving Many Illinois Cities and Counties, Including:
Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, Naperville, Joliet, Waukegan, Geneva, Sycamore, Woodstock, Kankakee, Morris, Ottawa; Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, Winnebago, DeKalb, McHenry, Kankakee, Grundy, LaSalle, Peoria, McLean, Champaign, Tazewell Counties

Offices

FAQ