ABSTRACT
Although the time course of each of these phases may vary, they are essential to obtain perfect outcomes.
The assessment stage involves determining the extent and depth of the injury. This is the most important part of the management process because decisions made during this stage will affect the therapeutic outcome. It is particularly true in the superficial burn. An accurate diagnosis and treatment plan needs to be implemented to provided the expected outcome. Superficial burns (termed either as superficial second-degree burns or superficial partial-thickness burns) usually heal within 2 weeks with conservative treatment. Burns that heal within 3 weeks do not exhibit hypertrophic scarring or cause functional impairment. Therefore, any therapeutic protocol to treat superficial burns should provide complete healing without any cosmetic or functional impairment.
