Burns: The Anatomic Effects
Burns have a very dramatic effect on the body. Even the slightest of burns causes profound events to occur that most of us are completely unaware of. We know that they hurt, but in minor cases, such as slight sunburns or scalds, we never stop and think about what is happening to the largest organ of the human body. To gain a better understanding of what happens to the skin in the case of a burn, we must look at the depth of the injury.
The skin is the human body’s “armor” and is made up of the epidermis and the dermis. The Epidermis is the outermost layer of our “armor”. Constructed of stratified squamous epithelium cells, the epidermis is the first part of the human body to come in contact with any of its surroundings. …show more content…
Damage is caused only to the epidermis layer and yields no scarring. Skin may appear pink or red and can be painful due to the excessive radiate exposure to the sensory nerve ending. First Degree burns normally appear dry, no blisters present, and often is accompanied by the peeling away of the epithelium cells (www.burntalk.com/education.htm). Hospitalization would be considered for First Degree burns if a large percentage of the skin is affected, if there is need for pain control or to correct fluid imbalance from dehydration.
A Second Degree Burn is considered more serious. The damage passes completely through the epidermis and into the dermis. Burns of this degree are subcategorized as Superficial or Deep depending on how far within the dermis the damage traveled. Because a superficial second degree burn affects the epidermis and the top layers of dermis only, the nerve endings are still intact and so pain is felt. A deeper superficial burn has had many of the nerve endings destroyed, so may actually be less painful …show more content…
With Second Degree burns, our “armor” now has notable weaknesses. Bacteria can now enter into the skin and bloodstream causing further redness, swelling and infection of the burn (www.surgerywise.com/procedure_info/second-degree-burns.htm). Second degree burns typically do not scar but will show signs of permanent discoloration. In some cases, if the skin does not heal on its own or does become infected, skin grafting (borrowing health skin from another part of the body) may be needed to help heal the injured area (www.healthline.com/health/burns#Outlook8). Wound dressing for Second Degree burns should be loosely covered with dry gauze wraps that are changed often to help protect the area from infection. Home remedies of ice, butter, aloe, cotton balls soaked in alcohol are never a good idea with this type of burn and may actually cause more damage or introduce bacteria for
Burns have a very dramatic effect on the body. Even the slightest of burns causes profound events to occur that most of us are completely unaware of. We know that they hurt, but in minor cases, such as slight sunburns or scalds, we never stop and think about what is happening to the largest organ of the human body. To gain a better understanding of what happens to the skin in the case of a burn, we must look at the depth of the injury.
The skin is the human body’s “armor” and is made up of the epidermis and the dermis. The Epidermis is the outermost layer of our “armor”. Constructed of stratified squamous epithelium cells, the epidermis is the first part of the human body to come in contact with any of its surroundings. …show more content…
Damage is caused only to the epidermis layer and yields no scarring. Skin may appear pink or red and can be painful due to the excessive radiate exposure to the sensory nerve ending. First Degree burns normally appear dry, no blisters present, and often is accompanied by the peeling away of the epithelium cells (www.burntalk.com/education.htm). Hospitalization would be considered for First Degree burns if a large percentage of the skin is affected, if there is need for pain control or to correct fluid imbalance from dehydration.
A Second Degree Burn is considered more serious. The damage passes completely through the epidermis and into the dermis. Burns of this degree are subcategorized as Superficial or Deep depending on how far within the dermis the damage traveled. Because a superficial second degree burn affects the epidermis and the top layers of dermis only, the nerve endings are still intact and so pain is felt. A deeper superficial burn has had many of the nerve endings destroyed, so may actually be less painful …show more content…
With Second Degree burns, our “armor” now has notable weaknesses. Bacteria can now enter into the skin and bloodstream causing further redness, swelling and infection of the burn (www.surgerywise.com/procedure_info/second-degree-burns.htm). Second degree burns typically do not scar but will show signs of permanent discoloration. In some cases, if the skin does not heal on its own or does become infected, skin grafting (borrowing health skin from another part of the body) may be needed to help heal the injured area (www.healthline.com/health/burns#Outlook8). Wound dressing for Second Degree burns should be loosely covered with dry gauze wraps that are changed often to help protect the area from infection. Home remedies of ice, butter, aloe, cotton balls soaked in alcohol are never a good idea with this type of burn and may actually cause more damage or introduce bacteria for