Burns Treatment Doctor in Houston, TX

An electrical, chemical, thermal, or electromagnetic burn is a painful wound caused by energy. Burn injuries are most common among older adults who smoke and use open flames. A child’s most common burn injury is scalding. A burn injury is most likely to occur in infants and older adults.

Contact with thermal, radiation, chemical, or electrical energy can cause a variety of burns. Burns are caused by heat sources that raise the temperature of the skin and tissues that can kill or char tissue cells. When hot metals, hot liquids, steam, and flames contact the skin, they can cause thermal burns. A radiation burn occurs when the skin is exposed for a prolonged period of time to the sun’s ultraviolet rays or to other radiation sources like X-rays. Acids, alkalis, detergents, or solvents that come into contact with the skin or eyes cause chemical burns. There are two types of electrical burns: direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC).

In addition to the many causes of burns, they are also classified by degrees of severity ranging from a first-degree burn (which is a superficial burn) and a third-degree burn (one that destroys the dermis and the epidermis). The differing severity means burns can be minor enough to be taken care of at home to serious enough to be life-threatening.

How you heal a burn will determine the type and severity of the burn. When it comes to burns of the second and third degree, medical attention is necessary. If you suffer a first-degree burn, it may be possible to treat it with home remedies.

It is very common for someone to suffer a first-degree burn after accidentally touching a hot stove, curling iron, or hair straightener. It is possible for sunburns to be first-degree burns as well. In contrast to second and third-degree burns, which are more severe, first-degree burns only affect the top layer of the skin. Your skin may feel red and painful if you have a first-degree burn, and you may experience mild swelling as well.

The majority of first-degree burns can be treated at home, but it’s important to know what to do. First-degree burns may not be as serious as higher-degree burns, but they can still hurt and leave scars if not treated properly.

The first thing you should do is to cool the burn by running the affected area under cool water or applying a cold compress. Petroleum jelly can be applied to the burn afterward. Cover the affected area with a nonstick, sterile bandage and keep it out of the sun.

Depending on the severity of the burn, it can be painful, debilitating, or even deadly. The treatment of some burns can be done at home, but others need to be treated by medical professionals as soon as possible. Getting help from Memorial Primary and Urgent Care for minor burns, or the emergency room for major, life-threatening burns, is imperative to keeping yourself and your family safe.

What doctor you see for burns will vary on a case-by-case basis. For life-threatening third-degree burns, a trip to the emergency room is necessary, as is the case for all life-threatening medical emergencies. However, when you suffer a burn that does not require emergency treatment but is still more severe or painful than you are capable of handling on your own, urgent care can be an excellent option. Urgent care provides swifter and more affordable care than is available at an emergency room and staff is capable of treating mild to severe non-life-threatening burns.

Burn treatment is available at Memorial Primary and Urgent Care. Call us to book an appointment. We serve patients from Houston TX, West University Place TX, Bellaire TX, Jacinto City TX, Galena Park, TX, and South Houston TX.