Burn injuries can wreak havoc in a victim’s life. From the short-term damage to the long-term care, a serious burn injury can alter aspects of living that no one even considers.
Of the burns someone can suffer from, third-degree categorizes as the worst. What designates a third-degree burn as a part of this category?
Physical effects
Temple Health looks into degrees of burn injury and how they impact victims. Third-degree burns sit at the top of the list, with a third-degree burn of any size and at any location getting defined as a serious burn injury.
Unlike first and second-degree burns, a third-degree burn will often involve most if not all layers of flesh. It can even impact underlying bone and muscle. Of course, the nerves in the area often end up damaged as well, which can create a partial or full numbness of the area that the victim will likely never recover from.
Visual appearance
Though typical burns look red or blistered, a third-degree burn will often either look charred or white. In some cases, it is possible to see down to the underlying tissue due to the severity or size of the burn.
It is important for victims of third-degree burns to get immediate medical attention for several reasons. First, the infection rate of such burns remains at high levels starting from immediately after the burn happens. The body can also go into shock due to the severity of the damage, which can cause injury to organs and even heart attacks or failure.