Between the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the travel, and the emphasis on cooking during the holiday season, the holidays are a common time for minor burns. Although no one ever intends to injure themselves, it is important to understand your options if a minor burn does occur so that you can get appropriate treatment. Learn about burn symptoms, categories, and where to seek treatment for minor burns.

How to Know If a Burn is Serious

Burns are not rare injuries. They can occur in many different circumstances, such as taking cookies out of the oven, doing your hair, or lighting a candle. Most burns are mild, however, there are situations where burns can be very serious injuries and require specialized medical treatment in a hospital. In terms of severity, burns belong to one of three main categories:

First-Degree: First-degree burns are the least severe type of burn. They usually cause redness and dryness to the skin in the affected area as well as discomfort, but they do not cause symptoms such as blisters. Most sunburns fall within this category. These types of burns do not require medical intervention.

Second-Degree: Second-degree burns are identifiable by the surface-level blistering that they cause. These blisters fill with fluid and can be very painful. They also are prone to infection if they pop. These burns should be treated in urgent care to ensure that the blistered skin does not become infected.

Third-Degree: Third-degree burns are very serious injuries and require immediate medical treatment in the emergency room. These burns damage all layers of the skin and require specialized treatment to ensure proper healing and prevent infection. They singe the nerves of the affected area, so the burn may not hurt due to the damage.

When to Seek Medical Care at Urgent Care for Burns

Burns are tricky injuries to heal because they often have a long recovery time and are prone to infection. The best way to ensure that your burn does not get infected is to seek medical treatment at an urgent care center.

Although urgent care centers are great resources for fast and affordable medical treatment, there are some scenarios in which you should head straight to the emergency room for burn treatment. These circumstances include:

• If the burn covers a joint
• If the burn is larger than a few inches
• If the burn has caused blistering
• If the burn has caused skin discoloration
• If you cannot feel the affected area

If you are concerned about a burn, you should always seek medical treatment as a precaution. Seeking early medical treatment can help reduce both the healing time and the risk of infection. If you do get a burn, running it under cool water and keeping it moist will help reduce pain until you can get medical treatment.

Treatment Options for Burns at Urgent Care

Burns cause damage to the skin, which requires the skin to regrow to heal. While first-degree burns only impact the outermost layer of the skin, the more severe the burn is, the more layers of skin that are damaged. Depending on the severity of the burn, the recovery process can take a few days to weeks or even months.

Visiting urgent care for the treatment of minor burns can greatly improve the healing time and decrease the risk of developing an infection from a burn. Minor burn treatment at urgent care may include cleaning the affected area, prescribing antibiotic ointment, as well as recommending at-home care steps.

Visit AFC Urgent Care Short Hills for Same-Day Minor Burn Treatment

If you suffer from a burn this holiday season, you can count on AFC Urgent Care Short Hills for fast and affordable burn care. We specialize in providing comprehensive medical care without the long wait times and high cost of the emergency room. You never need an appointment for treatment at AFC Urgent Care Short Hills, simply walk into our clinic to be seen by one of our board-certified medical providers.

At AFC Urgent Care Short Hills, we believe in making quality medical care accessible. That is why we accept most medical insurance plans and offer low-cost treatment options to all patients in and around Short Hills, NJ. Simply walk-in, or schedule an appointment online. For additional information regarding our clinic, please contact us directly.