First Degree Burns

A burn is defined as damage to the epidermal layer of skin, and depending on the degree, all or part of the dermal layer of skin. There are many different types of burns. All burns are classified in the degree of first, second, and third. While many believe that there is no difference in the types of burns, in actuality, every burn is classified in the degree of first, second, or third. A first degree burn is defined as damage to only the epidermal layer of skin. First degree burns are the mildest burns a person can get, and do not require any medical attention. The symptoms of a first degree burn include pain, redness, and swelling of the affected area. The pain and swelling is usually mild and the redness lasts until the skin begins to peel. We really did not cover burns in Mrs. Jordan’s lecture class (Macon, 2016). Mrs. Jordan classified a first degree burn as a typical sunburn. She also gave many examples on how to treat a first degree burn. One of the examples was a cool towel of some sorts to reduce the swelling and pain of the burn. Another example was applying aloe Vera to offer some pain relief. Along with examples of treatment, Mrs. Jordan also gave examples to help prevent a sunburn. The first, obvious, example was to wear …show more content…
A second degree burn is more serious than a first degree burn and the symptoms are blistering, redness, swelling, and pain. The healing process for a second degree burn depends on the extent of the burn. Most second degree burns heal within two or three weeks; however, some may take longer than three weeks (Khan, 2016). In lecture, we learned that some people get infections from second degree burns because they do not clean them properly. Mrs. Jordan also told us that for a mild second degree burn, we can run cool water over it, take pain medicine, and apply antibiotic cream to any of the