The word “burn” makes you think of “fire,” right? Most people connect burns to fire, which is undoubtedly true since most burns are caused by heat. Burn injuries occur unexpectedly and can be very painful and highly damaging. Burns affect more than the skin. They harm the nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and even the bones.
Some burn injuries cause internal injuries, extensive skin damage, and amputation. The journey to recovery may be very costly and may take a while for a victim to be fully healed. Since some burns can also affect body temperature, immune health, physical appearance, and psychological well-being of the victim, some burn victims may need rehab, physical therapy, and counseling to recover fully.
The causes of burns can be categorized as follows;
Radiation
Many people are not exposed to radiation, so it may be hard for them to sustain burns caused by radiation. Radiation burns can also be caused by defective medical equipment or tanning equipment. The length of radiation exposure determines the extent of the damage caused by radiation. Proper care and maintenance of medical equipment and tanning bed manufacturers prevent a person from getting burned.
Thermal
Thermal burns are the most popular type of burn injury. They are caused by direct exposure to extreme heat, such as fire, steam, or a boiling liquid. Sunburns, flashes, flame, and scalds are kinds of thermal burns. Sunburns are caused by exposure to the sun; flash burns involve explosions of natural gases, gasoline, propane, or other flammable liquids; flame burns involve house fires, flammable liquids, or ignited flammable clothing; and scalds are caused by interaction with hot liquids like water, oil, grease or tar.
Inhalation
Inhalation burns are caused by inhaling vapors, smoke, and harmful gases. Injuries from inhalation cannot be seen, but they can be detrimental. Inhaling too much smoke can damage the respiratory system, block your airways, damage your lungs, and suffocate you.
Electrical
Electrical burns are caused when you interfere with an electric current by touching an exposed wire, swimming in electrified water, or mishandling machinery. Electrical burns can cause superficial tissue damage. All outlets should be covered, and exposed wires should be kept out of the way to mitigate electric burns at home.
Chemical
Chemical burns are also referred to as caustic burns. They are the most dangerous types of burns because even a small burn caused by chemicals may affect your organs, skin, and eyes for life. Certain acids, bases, oxidizers, solvents, thinning agents, and alkylating agents can destroy the human body.
Friction
Burn injuries are not caused by fire or by touching hot things. A burn injury may occur also because of friction. It happens when the skin rubs against a surface. Examples of friction burns are rug burns, carpet burns, and rope burns. Friction burns are excruciating since they create a large area of raw skin prone to infection.