While burns can vary in their severity, you should take seriously any burn that you may suffer as a result of a workplace injury or an auto accident. Some burns can cause permanent damage to your skin and possibly your muscles and nerves. It is also possible for a burn to produce life threatening complications.
If you suffer a burn without a need to call for emergency medical aid, you should still consider having a doctor examine you as soon as you can. As Healthline points out, there are dangerous complications that a burn could produce later on.
Infection risks
Since a burn damages your skin, it can create an opening for harmful substances to get into your body. Infections can vary. Some will only require minimal treatment to deal with. However, an infection like bacteria that enters your bloodstream may result in sepsis. This is a dangerous condition that could result in your death.
Dehydration and hypothermia
After you suffer a burn, you may feel tired, thirsty or lightheaded. This could happen because a burn deprives your body of fluids. A burn that is severe enough may make you lose a lot of fluid and lower your blood volume, resulting in dehydration. If left untreated, your dehydration may lead to worse conditions like kidney problems and low blood volume shock.
A burn may also drop your body temperature. Because your skin helps maintain your body temperature, damage to your skin can also cause a loss of heat from your body. If your body loses too much heat, you could suffer hypothermia, which could become fatal.
Burn progression
According to WebMD, another reason to seek medical treatment is that your current burn may progress to a higher degree. It is possible to suffer a minor burn at first. However, if left unchecked, the burn damage can penetrate deeper into your body and the scope of the burn may spread. These and other possible problems make it important to receive a proper diagnosis of your injury.
