Direct heat (including scalding water), chemicals, electricity, radiation or sun may cause burns.

• First and second-degree burns are classified as partial-thickness burns
• Third-degree burns are classified as full thickness burns

In a first-degree burn, the outer layer of skin is red, injured and will not blister. In a second-degree burn the epidermis is totally injured and much of the corium. Blisters form and there is edema in the subcutaneous layer. These types of burns are painful because the nerve-endings have been injured.

All layers of the skin are destroyed in a third-degree burn. Muscles, bones and blood supply may also be destroyed or injured. The nerves that are destroyed make the wound painless. This is when skin grafts are used to cover the burned tissue.
Skin Contractures are one of the most serious long-term complications for a burn survivor. Contractures occur when the skin from the scar pulls the edges of the skin together. The contractured skin may affect adjacent muscles and tendons and restrict normal movement. The “raque” technique has also been successful with these types of scars.