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My girlfriend is suffering from second & third degree burns. Has anybody had either?

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P

Peagles

Member
I did something similar when I was maybe... 13 or so? I was really sick in bed and spilled chicken noodle soup on my chest (just the packet type you make with boiling water).

I probably should have gone to the doctor but I didn't for whatever reason. Anyway it blistered bad, was about the size of the palm of my hand, but it eventually healed. I kept it covered in plastic wrap since it was in a difficult spot to dress, and that also kept it covered and moist. When it was healing more I used Vitamin E oil a lot. I'm nearly 26 now and have no scar today. I mean, since I know it happened, if I look really hard there's like a little patch of bumpy skin, but it's almost invisible. For a few years it would tan more than my other skin at the beach but that's about it.

I doubt I had third degree burns but just thought I'd pitch in with my zero scarring story, it might make you feel better.
 
J-Roderton

J-Roderton

Member
I had second degree burns all over my shoulders from a severe sunburn once. Got a few scars. Worst pain I've ever felt. It took so long to heal.

Got into a drunken, shirtless fist fight maybe a week after and ripped all of the scabby parts off my shoulders from rolling on a rug while fighting. Horrible experience.
 
Collete

Collete

Member
I had a second degree burn about 3 years ago. I spilled boiling hot rice soup on my foot.
I still have the scar on my foot and I remember they wanted to take skin from my back and graft it on my foot. But honestly I didn't care that much to do that.

Though they recommended putting cocoa butter and some prescription creme on the burn daily...(Also took Vicodin daily to knock me out from the pain)
Still those were easily the most painful two months I had in my life.

These days the wound is VERY slowly healing back up but it still has a big scar over my left foot (looks like it's diseased).
I wish the best for your girlfriend.
 
Pyccko

Pyccko

Member
I had a pretty small 2nd degree burn on my forearm, but the scar's almost completely faded now (about 6 years later.) I didn't actually do anything special to take care of it other than like, solarcane or whatnot, so that might be part of why it took so long to fade.

I'm really sorry for your girlfriend though, I hope it all works out for you guys.
 
R

RevDM

Banned
Burn management depends on the body surface area (BSA) involved, the patients whole palm is 1% BSA, the chest and stomach is 18% BSA. All greater thickness burns require removal of necrotic tissue. Smaller burns can have this done right away, whereas larger burns require the patient to be admitted and it is done later. The larger the surface area, the greater the risk for insensible water loss, electrolyte imbalance, and infection.

If she had her entire chest burned, she should be in a hospital.
 
S

Secret Fawful

Member
I got second degree burns on my legs from my laptop, because I was sitting it on my legs and I didn't realize it was cooking the skin for hours over the course of months.

Why?

It is a Macbook Pro with a faulty battery that I have since removed. It became apparent what it was doing when the skin bubbled and came off of my legs. I still can't believe I let that go on without realizing what was happening. I saw the browning of my skin but figured it was a rash or something. I'm an idiot.
 
H

Hypereides

Member
I had a 2nd degree burn once covering both of my hands, after an unfortunate accident which involved hot cooking oil.

My hands looked like they were covered in bubbles - hundreds of blisters. Picture that. It was pretty freaky, but eventually it healed up on its own. Can't remember how long it took. I have a vague scar from one of the blisters that popped during the recovery phase, but it's hardly noticeble.
 
D

DonasaurusRex

Online Ho Champ
yeah i got one when i was 1 on my chest from an accident in the kitchen , boiling water, chicks dig the scar on guys , it will scar if third degree but the least of your worries right now is the looks, she has to keep clean and not get infected. And keep her company gets boring as shit in a hospital room.
 
I

iamblades

Member
I had second and third degree burns(mostly second, but they said it went full thickness in a couple spots) on my hand and the scarring is barely noticable, but that is helped by the natural lines and wrinkles in the skin. I imagine on a smoother section of skin like the chest, they would be substantially more noticeable.

I didn't have any anti scarring treatments though, just silver sulfadiazine(which apparently doesn't even do anything according to more recent research). Most anti scarring treatments are pretty much bullshit as well though, if you read the literature.. If you traumatize the skin to that degree, you are going to get scarring, the only thing that can really minimize it is preventing infections and healing it as fast as possible.

On a side note, third degree burns seem excessive for a simple spill of boiling water. because of the cooling effect of evaporation and the fact that water does not generally remain in contact with the skin for that long once spilled.
 
S

Stet

Banned
Shotgun Kiss said:
She has sinus problems, and to alleviate it, inhales steam from something that has boiling water in it. I haven't seen it personally.
Click to expand...

Exact same thing happened to my current girlfriend as a kid. Asthma with a boiling water inhaler. She had second degree burns and now has zero scarring. No idea about third degree though.
 
I

iamblades

Member
BakedYams said:
Applying toothpaste does wonders (hispanic family) but from experience and word of mouth, a 2nd degree burns requires you to visit a hospital due to how serious it can be. I think you might have the degree's mixed up though, she might have a first degree and second degree burn because if it was third, you would practically be seeing the bone under her skin and she would not stop screaming from the pain and be in the hospital right now.

For removing scars, there are special ointments that aren't covered by health insurance that do work most of the time, forget the name but be prepare to bone around $100.
Click to expand...

Actually third degree burns are painless (at the actual site of the burn of course, the transition between is going to be all kinds of painful) because all of the nerve endings are dead. The lighter second degree burns are the most painful, because they don't actually kill the nerve endings, but just make them really really unhappy. The real pain from third degree burns comes later, when it is time for wound debridement. FUCK that shit.

Fourth degree burns are when they go into the fat, muscle and bone under the skin.
 
P

Photolysis

Banned
Shotgun Kiss said:
Does anybody here know if there's any difference between second and third degree burns in regards to the *visibility* of the scar that remains, or is it just the chances of one remaining that is a factor?
Click to expand...

The scarring is related to how far into the skin the tissue damage extends; as you would probably imagine, this is a variable thing, hence why some second degree burns can scar if they're particularly bad. If she's lucky, the amount of the burn that is damaged enough to permanently scar will be relatively limited.

Either way, a very unpleasant situation; my condolences.
 
M

Metroid Killer

Member
When I was 4 years old, I accidentially tipped over a large pot full of boiling chicken fat from the kitchen counter as I was curious what was in it. The burning grease hit my left shoulder, chest, wrist and hand. My parents who were showing some guests some stuff in the room next door came rushing to me screaming and twitching on the floor. Carried to the shower until an ambulance came.

At the hospital they made a skin transplantation from my inner thigh to my shoulder and chest area which were hit the hardest. I had to keep an air-tight bag of some sort on my left hand to keep the wound moist(I guess?). In the following weeks I had troubles walking(because of the skin removal from the thigh), and it made playing with LEGO incredibly hard with one arm.

Today I have visible scars on my left shoulder and a small spot on my left-side chest, but nothing that bothers me.
 
S

Shotgun Kiss

Member
Thanks very much for all the responses everybody. I have a few things to tell my girlfriend now that will hopefully make her feel a bit better.

Of course, I'm still open to more input if anybody else has any advice/experiences?
 
S

Schweinehund

Member
Derwind said:
I had a third degree burn on my foot from when a hot iron fell and pressed on my foot as a toddler.

I'm 24 now, its not visible at all. Vaseline helps and moisturizing lotions.

It'll take time to heal but it will happen if you're attentive.
Click to expand...

This is weird because I'm the same age and the same degree burn, except it was boiling water. They did a skin graft and it is pretty noticeable (plus hair growing on my foot). I was pretty self conscious when I was a kid because other kids would ask all the time but I'm alright now.
 
B

BakedYams

Slayer of Combofiends
Shotgun Kiss said:
Between some people here saying that you can't get third degree burns from boiling water, and some of the pictures I've seen online (I haven't seen my girlfriend's burn, but as you said, if they were as bad as the pictures I've found, she'd be in hospital), it certainly seems there may be some inconsistency in what people refer to as a third degree burn.

My girlfriend was told it was second and third degree burns, but maybe the nurse at A&E was mistaken. I certainly hope so.
Click to expand...

She probably was cause if it was second to third degree burns, she would need surgery due to the dermis (below the epidermis) being burned off and their is a huge risk of losing feeling at that part of the body due to nerves being around in the area. If she feels pain than she's doing well for a burn, for now. I think your girlfriend will be fine but I beg of you, I'm studying pre-med and not a licensed doctor (yet) so please don't take my word for it and take her to a doctor at either a clinic or hospital.

Sidenote: If she really doesn't want scars, I suggest you ask some dermatologists about any creams that take away/prevent scarring if you have health insurance to go see a dermatologist.
 
P

Procarbine

Forever Platinum
I got second degree burns on my hand, after it healed there was some scarring but you really had to look to notice it. Years later it's not noticeable at all unless you point it out, but the strangest thing is what would happen when my hand got cold, the scars would just turn purple and stand out. Doesn't happen any more though.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
I'm surprised you can get 3rd degree burns from boiling water...I wouldn't have thought so.

I splashed a good amount of smoking hot oil on my hand in early July and got a second degree burn. It was excruciatingly painful for about 24 hours...I didn't sleep one minute that night. It hasn't left a visible scar as far as the tissue goes, though there is still some discoloration. Hopefully it goes away with time.
 
U

User 100115

Banned
TheExodu5 said:
I'm surprised you can get 3rd degree burns from boiling water...I wouldn't have thought so.

I splashed a good amount of smoking hot oil on my hand in early July. It was excruciatingly painful for about 24 hours...I didn't sleep one minute that night. It hasn't left a visible scar as far as the tissue goes, though there is still some discoloration. Hopefully it goes away with time.
Click to expand...

You can get 3rd degree burns from bathtub water, so I would imagine boiling water would be worse.
 
B

Badgerst3

Member
Shotgun Kiss said:
Thanks very much for all the responses everybody. I have a few things to tell my girlfriend now that will hopefully make her feel a bit better.

Of course, I'm still open to more input if anybody else has any advice/experiences?
Click to expand...

That really sucks. Burns hurt like hell. Pun intended.

Last fall I burned my rt upper foot and lower leg with boiling water while camping in the sierras. Was making coffee in my tent cross legged with my cook stove in my lap. It tipped over. Dumb indeed.

Full second degree burns with a spot about 1x1 inch that was 3rd degree. Was referred to plastic surgery but opted not to skin graft. I would have been off work or 3 weeks. For 2 weeks I lived on Vicodin and Silvadene.

A nurse recommended Mepilex burn dressing. They were a godsend. Cost a lot on amazon, but helped a ton with the pain/itching. Would link if had more time. Ended up spending almost $200 but they felt so much better than gauze with Silvadene.

I was quickly referred to plastic surgery as that seems the protocol for burns.

I actually still have pretty bad dark brown blotchy scaring. A year later it still itches often. But its on my foot so no huge deal. Best of luck to your gf.
 
Troubled Bat

Troubled Bat

Member
I'm sure your girlfriend has nothing to worry about and shouldn't be so self-concious. You say she's spilled boiling water on herself? Yeah, that isn't going to leave anything permanent.

I've had my arm up to the elbow dumped into boiling water before. And there was definitely some bad things happened to it. Major bubbling blisters, skin coming off and what-not.

Went to the hospital, had to go daily so they make my arm normal again.

My arm now looks completely fine, if you look Really closely you can notice the difference, which isn't much. My arm is slightly darker than the other.
 
Y

Yuripaw

Banned
About twelve years ago I got second and third degree burns on my left arm...still see the scars very clearly =( Sorry I can't be much help, but these kind of burns suck. No idea how to make them less noticeable.
 
G

G. N. Arly

Neo Member
I had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over my feet by jumping into some buried coals when I was a kid. Painful, painful stuff and my heart goes out to your girlfriend. That kind of an injury SUCKS.

I still have the scars from where the burns were the worst, but they aren't very noticeable at all. you have to be looking for them and you can see them best when the soft skin kinda scrunches up. Like your fingers and palms do when you ball your hands a bit.
It'll take some before it's fully healed, as you probably know, but after a good couple of months I'm sure it won't be too big of a sight issue!
I wish I knew any techniques to help it along at this stage... but I don't. Sorry :( .
Do you know how much of the area is covered by 3rd degree burns? As far as I recall third degrees are the ones that scar but 2nd degree burns are the ones that HURT

Borgnine said:
Oh god remember that awful Canadian safety video thing? Do not ever click:

http://youtu.be/noFCekWiUGE
Click to expand...

Oh god.
This is one of the worst commercials I ever had the luck the stumble upon as a tiny kid. Awful!
Why on EARTH did they have the screaming close up at the end?
 
A

Az987

all good things
When I was 10 a lady at a soccer game concession stand handed me a cup of hot chocolate without a lid and I spilled it on my hands. I had third degree burns but they didn't really scar or maybe they're just really faded by now. It didn't hit my enire hands though, just the area between my thumb and index finger on my left hand and part of my index finger on my right hand.

I think I went to a plastic surgeon to get the dead skin removed a week or so after it happened.
 
highrider

highrider

Banned
I was watching the documentary on Netflix about the lady who was burned accidentally by the McDonald's coffee. Stuff was kept at like 160 degrees. Even though she came to symbolize the frivolous lawsuit, she was actually legit. The pictures of the burns looked horrible. Hope for the best op. Tough deal but you sound like a good dude so just follow your instincts. New relationships are probably difficult for anybody suffering any given physical defect or trauma, but humans adapt well. Good luck to you and your girl.
 
B

BakedYams

Slayer of Combofiends
iamblades said:
Actually third degree burns are painless (at the actual site of the burn of course, the transition between is going to be all kinds of painful) because all of the nerve endings are dead. The lighter second degree burns are the most painful, because they don't actually kill the nerve endings, but just make them really really unhappy. The real pain from third degree burns comes later, when it is time for wound debridement. FUCK that shit.

Fourth degree burns are when they go into the fat, muscle and bone under the skin.
Click to expand...

You are right, sorry for my poor explanation. I meant when the burn happens, it hurts a lot. I could've sworn the nerves would be damaged to the point that it couldn't be repaired since there are no totipotent cells to regenerate it or does the entire cell (including synapse and axon and all the good stuff) need to be gone for pain not to occur and not to regenerate?
 
G

ginger ninja

Banned
Oh man i am so bummed to read this..We should do something as a community for OP's Gf's self esteem..something to tell her OP still loves her all the same

throw some non cringe creative ideas Gaf !
 
D

DJ88

Member
Secret Fawful said:
I got second degree burns on my legs from my laptop, because I was sitting it on my legs and I didn't realize it was cooking the skin for hours over the course of months.

Why?

It is a Macbook Pro with a faulty battery that I have since removed. It became apparent what it was doing when the skin bubbled and came off of my legs. I still can't believe I let that go on without realizing what was happening. I saw the browning of my skin but figured it was a rash or something. I'm an idiot.
Click to expand...


Your laptop was cooking your legs to the point of second degree burns and you didn't realize it?
 
M

Mad Max

Member
If it's really 2nd and 3rd degree burns over a large area she needs to go to a burn specialist with this asap, don't fuck around.
 
A

akira28

Member
Yeah I remember reading about this new artificial skin they put on burns that grafts to the body and allows normal skin to heal back with little scaring. She should inquire about that/.
 
K

Kreunt

Banned
I have a scar that looks like I slashed my wrist. It's actually from touching on the edge of a frying pan while picking food out of it :/
 
S

Shotgun Kiss

Member
I just got back from taking my girlfriend to the doctor's to arrange a follow up appointment. I relayed a lot of what you guys said (third degree burns would require staying at hospital, scars not being too visible, surgery options available to reduce/eliminate them, etc), and it certainly lifted her spirits.

Thanks guys.

Also, I asked her if the burned area hurt all over, or just in some areas. She said all over, which is good, because third degree burns destroy the nerves, making them painless.
 
Risible

Risible

Member
I managed to do it as well....had a pot full of carrots I had just taken off the boil, and as I was transporting them to the sink slipped and poured the entire pot over my left torso.

I scar pretty easily usually, but thanks to liniments/lotions and being careful with it I have no scars left over now.

The pain will be bad for a while though :(. Just make sure she has tons of her preferred painkiller about (Tylenol, whatever).
 
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