Home » Burns: Definition, Types of Burns & Treatments

Burns

A burn is a type of injury to skin caused by heat from scalding from hot, boiling liquids, chemical burns, electrical burns, excessive sun exposure or fires, including flames from matches, candles, and lighters.
There are four types of burns: first-, second-, and third-degree. Each degree is based on the severity of damage to the skin, with first-degree being the most minor and third-degree being the most severe. Damage includes:

• first-degree burns: red, nonblistered skin
• second-degree burns: blisters and some thickening of the skin
• third-degree burns: widespread thickness with a white, leathery appearance

There is also a more serious fourth-degree burn. This type of burn includes all of the symptoms of a third-degree burn and also extends beyond the skin into tendons and bones.