How to Treat a Second-Degree Burn

After a burn from a chemical heat pack, this person was treated with topical anesthetics to numb the skin. This picture shows how the burn looks five weeks after the injury.

10 Types of Second-Degree Burns

Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients.

Michael Menna, DO, is board-certified in emergency medicine. He is an attending emergency medicine physician at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York and also works at an urgent care center and a telemedicine company that provides care to patients across the country.

Second-degree burns, also called partial-thickness burns, involve the outer layer of skin (epidermis). They can extend to the middle skin layer below (dermis).

The degree of a burn is based on how many layers deep the damage goes. Burns can damage the epidermis, dermis, and fatty tissues under the skin. Second-degree burns can look different depending on their cause, size, and exact depth.

Americans see their primary care doctors less often than they did a decade ago. Adults under 65 made nearly 25% fewer visits to primary care providers in 2016 than they did in 2018, according to National Public Radio. In the same time period, the number of adults who went at least a year without visiting a primary care provider increased from 38% to 46%.

This second-degree burn was caused by scalding with hot water. The woman involved was carrying a pot of boiling water and lost her grip on one handle. The water spilled on her left hand.

Scalds are burns from hot liquids. They almost never cause full-thickness (third-degree) burns, but they do blister quickly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 350,000 Americans are treated for burns in emergency rooms each year. Over 40,000 are hospitalized.

Open Flame Burn

An unloaded potato gun gave this person a second-degree burn. A potato gun uses hairspray as the explosive agent to shoot a potato into the air. In this case, the flaming hairspray damaged the skin.

Symptoms of a second-degree burn include pain, deep redness, blistering, and areas of exposed tissue that are moist and shiny.

Chemical Heat Pack Burn

A reusable chemical heat pack burned this person’s neck. The person microwaved the pack for 60 seconds, even though the instructions said to heat it for 30 seconds.

There are no blisters here. Blisters show that the epidermis is damaged but not destroyed. In this case, the destruction of the outer layer caused areas of whiteness and discoloration common with many second-degree burns.

Chemical Heat Pack Burn (Five Weeks Later)

After a burn from a chemical heat pack, this person was treated with topical anesthetics to numb the skin. This picture shows how the burn looks five weeks after the injury.

Even after significant healing, burns this severe can cause pain for weeks. Over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol (acetaminophen) can help.

Candle Wax Burn

Hot candle wax is a common cause of second-degree burns. In this case, the candle wax exploded and splattered wax onto the person’s hand.

When water touches hot wax near a burning wick, the wax can explode. The type of candle or wax can make a big difference in how severe the injury is.

Paraffin wax melts at around 120 degrees F. Votive candles melt at around 135 F, and taper candles at 140 F or higher. The most serious burns come from beeswax, which melts at 145 F or higher.

To avoid burns, the wax temperature should be well below 125 F. That’s a common temperature for body waxing.

Steam Iron Burn

After burning herself with the steam from a household iron, this woman developed a painful second-degree blister on her pinky finger.

It’s easy to underestimate the dangers of hot steam. When your car overheats, for example, the steam escaping from the radiator will be between 190 F and 220 F. That’s hot enough to cause a severe burn in less than a second.

If the jet of hot steam hits your eye, your cornea can be severely damaged. Burns like this can cause:

• Scarring
• Holes in the eye tissue
• Blindness

Hot Oil Burn

Hot oil burns are common in the kitchen, especially among children. Deep fryers are often the culprits. When water spills or splashes into a deep fryer, there’s a huge splatter. Fat splattering from a hot frying pan can also cause burns. In this case, hot oil from a campfire frying pan damaged someone’s knee.

Cooking oil can easily exceed 375 F, but it is not the only source of non-water liquid burns. Motor oil can reach 275 F. You can be injured if you try to change the oil too soon after a car engine has stopped running. Even worse is molten sugar used for making candy. It can easily exceed 340 F.

Sloughing

Once a second-degree blister pops or tears, the epidermis will begin to fall away in sheets. This normal process is called sloughing. This photo shows sloughing after someone spilled hot water from a pot of pasta onto her foot.

Sloughing may start several days after the injury. When skin sloughs after a severe burn, the exposed tissue may not have begun to heal. In such cases, oral antibiotics may be needed to reduce the risk of infection.

Sunburns

Sunburns usually cause redness, stinging, and peeling. However, if you stay out long enough or fall asleep in the sun without UV protection, you can easily get a severe second-degree burn.

The problem with second-degree sunburns is that large areas of skin are involved. The blistering can be extensive and can cause terrible pain.

Because such large areas are involved, you may also experience:

• Rapid dehydration
• Fever
• Chills
• Weakness
• Higher likelihood of infection

In rare cases, people with sunburn can go into shock.

Second-degree sunburns take longer to heal. They increase the lifetime risk of developing skin cancer, including melanoma.

Friction Burn

A friction burn is a type of abrasion or scrape. It causes the loss of the epidermis and damages the dermis below. Friction burns don’t involve heat, but they are still considered second-degree burns.

They’re treated in the same way as a thermal (heat) burn. The most common types of friction burn are road rash and rug burns.

Topical antibiotic ointments and twice-daily dressing changes can usually prevent infection. Oral antibiotics may be prescribed for more severe cases.

How to Treat a 2nd-Degree Burn

The first thing you should do for a second-degree burn is cool the skin to keep the burn from getting worse. You can do this by:

• Running cool water over it
• Putting the burned area in a container of cool water
• Applying a cool compress

Continue cooling the skin until it no longer hurts when you remove the source of the cold. It may take as long as 30 minutes.

No Ice!

Don’t use ice or ice water to cool your skin after a burn. Temperatures that are too low can further damage the tissues.

Treatments for a second-degree burn may include:

• Antibiotic cream, over-the-counter or prescription
• Bandaging with gauze or something else that won’t stick to the burn
• Over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen)
• Elevation to prevent inflammation and lessen pain

When to Get Medical Help

Get medical attention for a second-degree burn if:

• The burn is blistered
• You have severe pain
• You develop a fever or other signs of infection
• The burn doesn’t improve in two weeks
• Fluid is leaking from the burned area
• Swelling or redness increase
• The burn is more than 2-3 inches wide
• The burn is on the hands, feet, face, genitals, buttocks, or over a major joint

Summary

Second-degree burns damage the top layer of skin (epidermis) and sometimes also involve the dermis. Fire, chemical heat packs, and hot liquids can cause burns like these. So can friction and sunburn.

If you’ve had a second-degree burn, you can expect to have pain, redness, blistering, and sloughing of the top layers of skin as you heal. You may have some scarring and your skin may be a different color after the burn heals.

You may be able to treat a second-degree burn with cool water, antibiotic creams, pain relievers, and clean bandages. If your burn is more severe, you should seek medical care right away.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fluid in a burn blister?

The fluid inside a burn blister is ultrafiltration of plasma. It is rich in immunoglobulins, cytokines, prostaglandins, and interleukins. This may help the burn to heal faster.

How often do you change the dressing for a second-degree burn?

Change the dressing within 48 hours after the wound is first bandaged. If it’s healing well after that, change the dressing every three to five days. However, if the burn area is painful or there’s an odor, change the bandages right away.

How long does it take a second-degree sunburn to heal?

A second-degree sunburn should be fully healed within one to three weeks if it’s treated properly and infection doesn’t develop. Your skin may still be discolored and scars may be permanent, but the discomfort should be fully resolved.

13 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus. Burns.
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3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care survey: 2015 emergency department summary tables.
4. Bittner EA, Shank E, Woodson L, Martyn JA. Acute and perioperative care of the burn-injured patient. Anesthesiology. 2015;122(2):448-464. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000000559
5. University of California San Diego School of Medicine: UC San Diego Health. About burns.
6. Grosu-Bularda A, Andrei MC, Mladin AD, et al. Periorbital lesions in severely burned patients. Rom J Ophthalmol. 2019;63(1):38-55.
7. Bachier M, Hammond SE, Williams R, Jancelewicz T, Feliz A. Pediatric scalds: Do cooking-related burns have a higher injury burden?J Surg Res. 2015;199(1):230-236. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2015.05.016
8. Norman G, Christie J, Liu Z, et al. Antiseptics for burns. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;7(7):CD011821. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011821.pub2
9. Sánchez-Pérez JF, Vicente-Agullo D, Barberá M, Castro-Rodríguez E, Cánovas M. Relationship between ultraviolet index (UVI) and first-, second- and third-degree sunburn using the Probit methodology. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):733. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36850-x
10. University of Michigan Medical School: Michigan Medicine. Home treatment for second-degree burns.
11. Cleveland Clinic. Burns.
12. Gupta S, Chittoria RK, Chavan V, et al. Role of Burn Blister Fluid in Wound Healing. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2021;14(3):370-373. doi:10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_90_19
13. Józsa G, Tóth E, Juhász Zs. New dressing combination for the treatment of partial thickness burn injuries in children. Ann Burns Fire Disasters. 2017;30(1):43-46.

By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P
Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients.

How to Treat a Second-Degree Burn

According to the American Burn Association (ABA), nearly 450,000 people a year experience burns that require medical treatment. Although the level, or degree, of a burn can range from person to person based on how the burn occurred, there are various symptoms to be mindful of after getting burned.

The most common cause of burns is direct contact with a fire or flame. Other burns occur due to exposure to various heat sources like scalding water, hot grease from a pan, steam, and, in some cases, even too much direct exposure to the sun, especially in the warmer months.

Second-degree burns are the most common type of burn each year and may require medical treatment based on the symptoms you experience and the size of the affected area.

What is a second-degree burn?

A second-degree burn affects the epidermis and dermis, the top two layers of your skin. It is often referred to as a partial thickness burn. It is most notably characterized by a moist or wet look on the surface of the affected area. Blisters are also common signs of this type of burn.

What are the signs and symptoms of a second-degree burn?

Although wet, shiny, and blistered skin is the most common indicator of a second-degree burn, there are other symptoms to be on the lookout for.

Symptoms of second-degree burns include:

• Deep redness on the affected area and adjacent skin
• Skin that is painful to the touch after exposure to heat, chemicals or flames
• An irregular pattern of white or discolored skin on the affected area
• Swelling

In some instances, deep second-degree burns may cause scarring.

How do I treat a second-degree burn?

Treatment for a second-degree burn is based mainly on the severity of symptoms experienced.

Although some second-degree burns can be treated at home, most require a visit to a medical professional for further evaluation and comprehensive treatment.

The most common ways to treat a second-degree burn that doesn’t cover more than 10% of your body may include:

• Running cool water over the affected area for 20 minutes
• Washing the affected area with mild soap and water
• Applying a cool compress or wet cloth over the burn area in 5 to 15-minute intervals to relieve pain and reduce swelling
• Using a topical over-the-counter antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin or Neosporin to the burn
• Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever
• Dressing changes one or two times a day depending on the severity of the burn
• Daily cleaning of the wound to remove dead skin or ointment

In some cases, doctors may prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic to promote healing.

Typically, superficial second-degree burns heal entirely within 3 weeks. In some instances, healing may take longer.

What are the other types of burns?

First-degree burns affect the top layer of the skin and are the most minimal type of burn. They cause minor redness, pain and swelling and can often heal on their own at home.

Third-degree burns are the most severe type of burn affecting all three layers of the skin. They can penetrate so deeply that they sometimes affect underlying nerves, tissue, muscles and bones. If you suspect that you are experiencing a third-degree burn, call 9-1-1 immediately.

When to visit Amory Urgent Care

If symptoms do not improve, or if they worsen as the days progress, you should visit Amory Urgent Care today, especially if you believe the burn is infected.

It is critical to be seen if you experience:

• A fever
• Any change in color of the burnt area or the surrounding skin
• Persistent swelling
• Purplish discoloration
• Increased thickness of the burn
• Green discharge or pus

Seek emergency medical care immediately for:

• Burns that cover the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks, a major joint, or a large area of the body
• Burns that cause the skin to look leathery
• Burns that appear charred or have patches of black or brown
• Burns caused by chemicals or electricity
• Difficulty breathing or burns to the airway

Visit Amory Urgent Care to get the treatment you need for your second-degree burn today. We welcome walk-in appointments seven days a week to help you feel better sooner.

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