Full thickness burns - white or charred?

[mhco]

Hi,

I've learnt full thickness burns can be white in appearance or charred.

Does anyone know why this is? Why the appearance can be so different with despite the damage being the same.

Thanks.

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[shoal007]

tissues dead. think about cooking. depend on heat, duration and exposure. black / char is probably worse burn but its already dead so it doesn't matter.

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[deleted109597]

Black means fire.
White means heat.

Same reason your steak can be cooked and not charred.

 

[medicsb]

White because the tissue is no longer recieving blood flow. It is dead.

 

[alpinism]

Both are possible with full thickness burns.

Black just means carbonaceous material was deposited within the skin during the burning process.

While we're on the subject don't be afraid to give high dose pain meds to these patients. Many emergency medicine textbooks incorrectly state that these burns destroy underlying nerve endings and are not painful. This is a myth that has largely been debunked over the past 10 years. All burns including full thickness are extremely painful.

 

[brk81144]

Both are possible with full thickness burns.

Black just means carbonaceous material was deposited within the skin during the burning process.

While we're on the subject don't be afraid to give high dose pain meds to these patients. Many emergency medicine textbooks incorrectly state that these burns destroy underlying nerve endings and are not painful. This is a myth that has largely been debunked over the past 10 years. All burns including full thickness are extremely painful.

Can't agree more with the above. If nothing else there is always an area around the full thickness that's partial thickness and is going to hurt like hell. I've had good success with low dose ketamine in these patients