What Happens to the Skin in a Grease Burn?

Grease burns are a common kitchen hazard, especially when children are running around the house. Grease burns can range from minor, superficial wounds that can be taken care of at home, to much more serious injuries that need professional medical care. It is important to identify what kind of wound you're dealing with when a grease burn occurs, and how to treat it.

Statistics

• An average of 6,000 people are hospitalized for burns every year in the United States, and more than 60,000 visit hospital emergency rooms for a burn related injury annually. Males are more than twice as likely to suffer from burns than females, and a majority of these are work-related injuries that happen to men in their 20s. Children are the second most likely burn victims, and are most prone to being injured by hot liquid or hot surfaces, such as radiators and heaters.

Kinds of Burns

• No matter what the cause, grease or otherwise, burns come in varying degrees. Depending on the severity of the injury, burns are categorized into first-, second- and third-degree burns.

  A first-degree burn is the mildest form of burn injury, and is limited to the top layer of skin. Such a burn will exhibit symptoms of redness, pain and minor swelling, according to KidsHealth.org. The skin won't blister, but will be painful, dry and turn white when touched.

  Skin that has sustained a second-degree burn will be injured through the layers beneath the top of the skin. Skin from these burns will turn bright red, feel extremely painful, and blister. Sometimes the blisters will break open, revealing a wet-looking area that is cherry red in color. This wet area is plasma leaking from the wound. Sometimes second-degree burns are mistaken for first-degree burns because the skin doesn't blister until a day or two after the initial injury.

  Third-degree burns are the most serious types of burns, and happens when all the layers of skin and tissue underneath has been injured. Skin suffering from a third-degree burn will appear dry and look waxy white, leathery, brown or charred. The area will feel coarse, and may only feel numb at first because of damage to the nerves. Skin that has suffered a third-degree burn wound is usually completely destroyed with no chance of regenerating itself, which means a skin graft surgery would be needed to help the area heal.

Treatment

• To treat a first-degree burn, clothing should be immediately removed from the burned area, and cool (not cold) water run over it. If water isn't available, any cool fluid or a clean, cold compress is sufficient to hold over the burn for about three to five minutes. Ice should not be used to treat the wound as it might cause more damage. Aloe gel or cream should then be applied to the burn, and repeated a few times during the day. The wound should be kept clean and protected with a sterile gauze or bandage for at least 24 hours. Healing time for a first-degree burn can take about three to six days, and the outer layer of skin in the burned area may peel off in one or two days.

  For second-degree or third-degree burns, emergency medical care should be sought immediately. In the meantime, follow the treatment plan for first-degree burns. However, avoid cold compresses in the case where the burn covers more than 10 percent of a person's body, as it could cause the victim's body temperature to drop. Remove jewelry and clothing from around the burn, except for the clothing that is stuck to the skin, which should be left to medical professionals to handle. Be careful to avoid breaking any blisters, and cover the affected area with a clean cloth or sheet until help arrives.

  For second-degree buns, healing time can take up to three weeks or more if there is no infection, and there shouldn't be much scarring if the affected area is small.

  For third-degree burns, the time it takes to heal depends on how large the affected area is, and how much needs to be treated with skin grafts. Skin grafts are conducted by taking healthy skin from other parts of the body and placing them over the burn wounds to help the area heal.

Preventing Grease Burns

• Turn pot handles away from you while you cook to avoid accidentally tipping them over.
  Never let children play in the kitchen.
  Never hold a child while cooking.
  Avoid using tablecloths or large placemats as items on the table could be overturned when the cloth is pulled on.

Other Common Burns

• Besides grease burns, other burns that people commonly suffer from are scalds (from steam, hot water, spilled coffee, hot food, etc.), contact with flames or hot objects (stoves, fireplaces), chemical burns (spilled chemicals such as bleach), electrical burns, and overexposure to the sun.