How Long Does It Take to Recover From 3rd-Degree Burns?

Minor 1st and 2nd-degree burns heal in a few days to a week. These burn injuries often produce minor symptoms but rarely leave permanent scars or cause long-term complications. A 3rd-degree burn, on the other hand, destroys the full thickness of the skin.

As a result, these severe burns often require extensive treatment, including skin grafts and surgery. They take a long time to heal. Even after healing, you may face lifelong complications like contractures and permanent scars.

Severity of a 3rd-Degree Burn

A burn happens when a chemical change or reaction destroys skin cells. Burns can take many forms, depending on how the burn happened. Examples of burn types include the following:

• Thermal burns from contact with a hot solid, liquid, or gas
• Combustion burns from flames consuming your tissues as fuel
• Chemical burns caused by caustic substances
• Electric burns resulting from electric current
• Radiation burns from high-energy electromagnetic waves and particles

Your skin consists of multiple layers. The epidermis makes up the outermost layer. This layer of skin forms a water-tight and germ-resistant barrier. It prevents water from escaping and microorganisms from entering.

The layer under the epidermis is called the dermis. This layer contains hair nerve endings and blood vessels. It holds the hair follicles, sweat glands, and oil glands. It also covers the fat and other subcutaneous tissues that overlay muscles and bones. In other words, the dermis forms the last layer before you reach the connective tissues.

The severity of a burn depends on the depth of the tissue damage. Doctors rate burn severity on a three-degree scale as follows:

1st-Degree Burns

The mildest burns only damage the epidermis. These burns produce only minor symptoms, including:

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling

A 1st-degree burn heals relatively quickly. Your symptoms should lessen within a few days, and full recovery should take a week or two, depending on the size of the burn.

2nd-Degree Burns

A 2nd-degree burn destroys the epidermis and damages the dermis. Since the damage goes deeper, the symptoms are more severe. The burned skin may blister, seep, and develop infections.

If you clean the wound with mild soap and water and use antibiotic ointment, you should see significant improvement in your 2nd-degree burns within a few weeks. The time for the skin to fully heal will depend on the wound size and whether you develop an infection.

3rd-Degree Burns

The most serious burns destroy the entire epidermis and dermis. These burns appear gray or charred because any skin remaining in the affected area is dead. Ironically, these burns are often painless because they destroy the nerve endings. Bacteria invade the body through the burn. Water escapes the burned area, causing dehydration.

Factors That Can Affect Recovery Time

The healing time for 3rd-degree burns will vary significantly. The edges of the burned area may heal within a few months. These areas still have a blood supply to help the skin regrow. Away from the edges of the burn, you will likely need to replace the destroyed skin with skin grafts.

Some factors that may affect the healing time include the following:

• The size of the wound
• The infection status of the wound
• The presence of contaminants, such as chemicals or debris, in the wound
• The medical care you receive
• The home care you follow

Although skin grafts promote healing, they also increase the risk of scarring. Burns that reach below the dermis into the connective tissues might also develop contractures. This disfiguring complication happens when scar tissue causes muscles, tendons, or ligaments to shrink and harden. The joints and muscles become deformed and immobile.

Legal Implications and Compensation

You can pursue a personal injury claim when your burn wound results from someone else’s negligent or wrongful conduct. For example, suppose your burn injury happened in a truck accident when a semitruck hit your car and leaked fuel onto your hot engine.

To recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses, your burn injury lawyer must argue the trucking company or its employee acted negligently. In order to prove negligence, they will show the trucking company or driver failed to exercise reasonable care while loading, operating, or maintaining the truck.

After you prove negligence, you can recover significant compensation. Your economic losses include your past and future medical expenses. Burns require skin grafts and other expensive procedures. Your economic losses also include your income losses. After suffering third-degree burns, you might miss weeks or months of work.

You may also recover compensation for your non-economic losses. These losses arise from the reduction in your quality of life due to pain, mental anguish, disability, disfigurement, and dismemberment.

Frequently Asked Questions About 3rd-Degree Burn Injuries

Here are some questions people ask about severe burn injuries:

Can Third-Degree Burns Heal Completely?

Unfortunately, 3rd-degree burns almost always cause some permanent losses. Even after skin grafting to regrow the body’s protective layer, your nerve endings will not grow back. Thus, even when the skin regrows, you will have reduced sensation in the burned area.

What Does the Skin Look Like After a Third-Degree Burn?

Most third-degree burns leave scars. Keloid scars are tough, inelastic, discolored skin that grows over major wounds like lacerations and burns. These keloid scars can cause significant disfigurement.

What Is the Survival Rate of Third-Degree Burns?

The survival rate of a burn depends on its size. Studies show the survival rate drops when a burn covers 40% or more of the victim’s body.

Learn More About Your Rights From an Experienced Burn Injury Attorney

Third-degree burn injuries have devastating effects and may take years to heal. Even after healing, you may still have nerve damage, scars, and contractures. Contact Commonwealth Law Group to discuss your burns and how we can help you pursue compensation.