Which Type of Burn Injury Requires Skin Grafting?

Have you ever wondered, “Which type of burn injury requires skin grafting?” Burns can range widely in severity and type, which makes it hard to know when a burn is severe enough to merit skin grafting. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves grafting skin onto the burn injury. This procedure is both complex and expensive, but it’s typically reserved for only serious burns.

Severe burn injuries can take a serious toll on both your finances and your quality of life. When you need help paying for costly burn injury treatments like skin grafting, a burn injury lawyer can help you recover compensation.

Burn Degrees and Severity

Burns are categorized by degree. 1st-degree burns only damage the top layer of the skin. They’re usually treated by covering the burn until it heals and using over-the-counter pain medication to manage pain. 

2nd-degree burns can range from mild to moderate. Second-degree burns damage both the top and middle layers of the skin. They’re usually identified by blistering. Treatment for a second-degree burn is similar to that for a first. Because burn blisters can result in open wounds, antibiotic ointment might be prescribed to protect against infection.

3rd-degree burns are by far the most damaging type of burns. These are severe burns that damage all three layers of the skin. Third-degree burns can cause permanent damage. It’s this type of burn that can result in the need for a skin graft.

How Burns Can Happen

Burns can happen in many different ways. Some of the most common sources of burn injuries include:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Workplace accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Defective products
• Home accidents

However, understanding the specifics of how a burn injury can happen involves first breaking down burns by type. There are four types of burns. Certain situations lead to a higher risk of sustaining one over the other. For example, it’s easy to accidentally burn yourself in the kitchen by touching a hot stove, but you’re unlikely to suffer a radiation burn in your own home.

Thermal Burns

Thermal burns occur due to heat exposure. Open flames, hot liquid, steam, and hot objects are all common sources of thermal burns. When the skin comes into contact with extreme temperatures, the result is a thermal burn.

Thermal burns are the most common type of burn, and most people experience at least a first-degree thermal burn at some point in life. While first- degree burns may result in over-the-counter pain medication and treatment, more serious burns like third-degree thermal burns, can involve skin grafting.

Chemical Burns

Chemical burns happen when the skin comes into contact with harsh chemicals. Certain jobs bring a higher risk of chemical burns than others. Construction workers, factory workers, and mechanics may all be exposed to caustic chemicals. However, chemical burns are also a possible result of the skin coming into contact with certain household substances, like bleach or battery acid.

If you’re wondering which type of burn injury requires skin grafting, chemical burns are one answer. Chemical burns are likely to do severe damage, which means there’s a high chance of needing a skin graft.

Electrical Burns

Electrical burns happen when an electrical current travels through the body. The electric current can do severe damage to anything it comes into contact with. While damage to the skin is visible with electrical burns, they can also do significant invisible damage to organs and tissues. Construction workers and electricians are at higher risk of experiencing electrical burns while at work.

Radiation Burns

The final type of burn is a radiation burn. Radiation burns most commonly happen during radiation therapy for cancer treatment. However, a radiation burn could also occur as a workplace injury or as an effect of a defective product. For example, a healthcare worker could experience a radiation burn while operating a faulty X-ray machine.

What a Burn Injury Attorney Can Do to Help You Seek Compensation for Your Injuries

A burn injury attorney will investigate your accident/injury and work to establish liability. How they achieve this depends on how your burn injuries happened.

For example, if you sustained burn injuries in a car accident, a lawyer can work to recover compensation through the other driver’s insurance policy. If your burn injuries happened at work, a burn injury lawyer can assist with your worker’s compensation claim.

You need a burn injury lawyer to do the work of tallying up your losses to prove your overall case value. A skilled lawyer knows how to include factors like lifetime medical costs and non-economic compensation for aspects like pain and suffering.

FAQ

Which Type of Burn Injury Requires Skin Grafting to Treat?

Typically, only third-degree burns require skin grafting. Considering the different ways burns happen, thermal burns and chemical burns are most likely to damage the skin in a way that requires skin grafting as a form of treatment.

How Much Money Can I Recover for Burn Injuries?

Burn injury compensation depends on many factors. Medical costs, your ability to return to work, and your lawyer’s experience level all impact the overall amount of burn injury compensation you walk away with.

How Much Does a Burn Injury Lawyer Cost?

Most burn injury lawyers work on contingency. With this fee arrangement, you only pay for legal fees if your lawyer wins your case. Payment usually comes directly out of the compensation you win.

Speak With a Burn Injury Attorney Today

Severe burn injuries can do life-altering damage. When you need a skin graft or other significant forms of burn injury treatment, medical bills can quickly pile up. The burn injury attorneys at The Moore Law Firm understand the toll burn injuries can take, and we have the experience you want on your side.

Contact The Moore Law Firm today to schedule a consultation with an experienced burn injury lawyer.