


#1st degree burn on hands skin#
Used with permission from American Society for Surgery of the Hand.Share on Pinterest Running skin under cold water for at least 10 minutes can help treat burns. Long-term follow up with your hand surgeon should be planned to evaluate for the possibility that further surgery may improve your hand function. Many burned hands will develop contractures months or years after the original injury. Many patients with burn injuries will require more than one operation. Your hand surgeon will coordinate therapy with a therapist if he or she feels that you would benefit from rehabilitation. Deeper burns or those that occur in conjunction with other injuries may require extensive therapy and rehabilitation. Superficial burns generally will not need any formal hand therapy. The need for therapy depends on the depth of the burn wound and any other factors that may lead to stiffness in the hand. In such cases, the constriction may need to be released, a procedure known as escharotomy.
#1st degree burn on hands full#
A burn that goes around the full circumference of the limb can sometimes constrict it like a tourniquet.

Small full thickness burns may be treated like the partial thickness but will take longer to heal and will leave scarring. Ideally this is within two to three weeks after the injury. The hand is then splinted (see Figure 3) until the grafts are healed, and then mobilization begins. Most surgeons remove the dead skin as soon as it is evident that the burn is full thickness, and graft immediately. The timing of this depends on the size and location of the burns. Some 2nd degree burns may need excision of damaged skin followed by skin grafting.ģrd Degree (Full Thickness Burns): The dead skin will need to be removed and replaced with skin grafts. Wound healing occurs within two to three weeks.

If there are open, raw surfaces, cleaning with frequent dressing changes and the application of local topical antibiotics is performed until the wounds are healed. These usually heal within a week.Ģnd Degree (Partial Thickness Burns): Blisters may or may not be trimmed but the hand and forearm should be splinted in a position of safety to prevent later stiffness. Burns localized to the hand may be treated on an outpatient basis if the pain can be adequately controlled.ġst Degree (Superficial Burns): Treated primarily for comfort with local analgesics and pain medications. Burns over a major percentage of the body require hospitalization and care in special burn units. The treatment depends on the depth and extent of the burn. Burns can also result from contact with certain chemicals.īurns are classified by the depth of injury, which helps determine the appropriate treatment.ġst Degree: superficial - redness of skin without blistersĢnd Degree: partial thickness skin damage - blisters presentģrd Degree: full thickness skin damage - skin is white and leatheryĤth Degree: as in third degree but with damage to deeper structures, such as tendons, joints, bone What kind of treatment is needed?Īfter first aid measures that include removing the hand from the source of heat and keeping it clean, treatment focuses on preventing further problems with stiffness and infection. If sufficiently severe, the full thickness of the skin can be destroyed, as well as tissues under it. The depth of the injury depends on the intensity of the heat and the length of time that it is applied. When the skin comes in contact with something hot, it may be damaged, with death of cells in the skin. Billing, Insurance & Financial Assistance.
