In a motor vehicle accident, heat and chemicals can form the perfect mixture, resulting in severe wounds. Deployed airbags, hot metal and chemical explosions are only a few of the ways that you can suffer burns in an accident. Burns are among the most serious injuries that victims experience following an accident.
When you experience burns from an accident, these can have long-term ill effects on your health and wellness. Burns can vary extensively in severity, and doctors have to treat pain and other symptoms on a case-by-case basis.
Burn damage
Even in a minor accident, burns are a risk. Hot oil can scald the skin, fire, hot metal and more can lead to permanent damage. Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It is responsible for protecting your internal structures, regulating temperature and much more. Burns lead to extensive damage of the skin. The seriousness of a burn is not always obvious. Sometimes blistering and other symptoms take longer to develop.
Burn injuries include third, second and first degree. First degree is the mildest, resulting in pain and red skin in the afflicted area of the outer layer of skin. Second degree involves the outer and lower layer of skin. Second degree burns include blistering and swelling. Third degree burns affect deeper tissues, in addition to the outer layer. This type of burn may turn white or blacken skin, often charring and resulting in numbness.
Burn treatment
To treat burns, there are a number of procedures. You may use aloe vera or other skin care on first degree burns, with a lower dose pain medication. For second degree burns, you may use prescription ointments. It is with severe burns that you may have to undergo lengthy skin graft procedures and antibiotics through IV. Serious burns require maintenance and clean dressings. In addition, the pain may turn chronic. This often results in aggressive pain treatments.
