Are Burn Scars Permanent?

Burns occur when your skin comes in contact with extremely hot objects, liquids, or open flames. You can also sustain burns from overexposure to chemicals, electricity, and the sun. When you suffer from burn injuries, it can leave permanent scarring.

If you suffer from a serious enough burn, scars will form during the healing process. Scars are formed from discolored and thick skin which develops from dead skin cells caused by the burn when a protein called collagen is produced by the body to repair the damaged area.

Depending on the severity and extent of the burn, the scar can be small or large. With time, scars caused by less-severe burns can fade.

Types of Burn Injuries

Burns are categorized based on how severe they are. The more severe a burn is, the more expensive it is to treat and the more painful it will be. Severe burns cause years of pain and suffering and require multiple reconstructive surgeries to heal. Below are the three types of burns:

1. First-degree burns: These burns are often considered superficial. However, it doesn’t mean that they are not painful. If you have a first-degree burn you will experience pain, redness, and a little blistering.
2. Second-degree burns: These are often more severe as they cause destruction of the outer skin layer. However, they don’t burn the deeper tissues, and they are often associated with painful blisters and sometimes infections.
3. Third-degree burns: These are the worst types of burns. A third-degree burn will destroy all of the layers of the skin and will need reconstructive procedures such as skin grafting to heal. The healing process will include years of excruciating pain, multiple surgeries, and a high risk of infection.

A third-degree burn may even cause death because it’s a full-thickness burn that affects nerves, tendons, and a larger percentage of the skin. This type of burn will also cause permanent scarring.

Types of Scars Caused by Burns

There are three different types of scars caused by second- and third-degree burns. These are the types of scars as categorized by their appearance and their effect on the skin:

1. Hypertrophic scars appear purple or red, and they are often raised above the level of the skin. They may become itchy and feel warm.
2. Contracture scars will make your muscles, skin, and tendons tighter, restricting the skin’s normal movement.
3. Keloid scars often form a shiny and hairless bump.

Any of these types of scars can be permanent, and in most burn cases they will be.

What to Do When You Suffer a Burn Due to Negligence

If your burns happened as the result of someone’s negligence or malicious intent, you may want to file a lawsuit. However, with burn injury cases, just like other injury cases, it can be hard to predict exactly how much compensation you may receive. Deciding if you should pursue the case depends on how extensive the burn is, the evidence you have, and its severity.

A burn injury can be serious, and sometimes it may even be fatal. However, before claiming compensation, you need to establish that the burn you or your loved one suffered was due to negligence. Below are the four elements that are needed to determine negligence in a burn injury case:

• The entity or person did not take precautionary measures to ensure you don’t sustain a burn.
• A duty of care was breached.
• The breach of duty caused severe injuries.
• The burn injury caused you to suffer financially or lose your job.

Filling a lawsuit due to a burn injury is a complex process that requires knowledge of burn injuries and tort law. If you suffer from a severe burn due to negligence, you may want to visit this head, spine, and burn injury lawyer website to learn more about your rights.

Chances are if you suffered a burn injury, you have a lot on your plate while you’re trying to recover and dealing with excruciating pain. Hiring an attorney will allow you to focus on your recovery. A lawyer can help you get the right compensation for the damages caused.