Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsTypesTreatmentRisksWhen to See a DoctorWhat to ExpectFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Types
Treatment
Risks
When to See a Doctor
What to Expect
Frequently Asked Questions
Electrical burns or injuries from holiday lights send around 14,000 Americans to emergency departments each year.While the glitter and shine of twinkling lights is magical, an old string of lights with a bad wire—especially coupled with rain or snow—can cause more damage than you might think.
It only takes a little…A string of holiday lights can generate 4,000 mA of electricity, but as little as 200 mA can be fatal. Defibrillators used to deliver shocks during cardiac arrest can send about 17,000 mA through your body.
It only takes a little…
A string of holiday lights can generate 4,000 mA of electricity, but as little as 200 mA can be fatal. Defibrillators used to deliver shocks during cardiac arrest can send about 17,000 mA through your body.
It doesn’t take much electricity to cause burns or injury, and most household appliances and electronics deliver a bigger punch than you might think. A string of 100 miniature lights can generate about 4,000 milliamperes (mA) of electrical current.While you would barely feel 1 mA of electrical current, 20 mA is enough to stop your breathing and 100 mA can cause fatal heart arrhythmias.
Verywell / Laura Porter
This article will explore what an electrical burn or injury is like, and what you can do to get help.
How Does Electricity Affect Our Bodies?
About 1,000 Americans die and another 30,000 are hurt each year from electrical injuries. While many of these occur in the workplace, electrical burns can happen at home, too. Most home electrical injuries and burns happen in children and teens.
You are at risk of injury every time you come into contact with electricity. Most electrical devices and appliances have some sort of protection built into them, usually in the form of a protective covering that goes between you and the current running through the device.
When these currents do come in contact with your body—often through a split wire or other malfunction—they can create a host of symptoms from a small zap to severe injury or death. Symptoms of electrical burns and injuries depend on things like:
Visible burns from the initial electric contact and the exit of the current are one problem, but electrical burns and injuries in the body can impact any tissue the current travels through. This can include your nervous system and heart.
Some common symptoms that can occur with electrical burns or injuries include:
Is It Safe to Help?
Your first instinct may be to run and help someone who has just been electrocuted, but DON’T. Electrical currents can travel from one person to another, and you may also become injured while trying to help someone who has an electrical burn or injury.
The safest way to help someone who has an electrical injury is to turn off the power source if possible. This will not stop the flow of electricity that is already happening, but it will prevent more damage. Once the current is stopped, it is still not safe to touch the injured person. You must separate them from the electric source with something that can’t conduct electricity to you. This might be something like a rug or a rubber mat. Never use metal or anything wet.
There are four main types of electrical injuries that can cause burns.
Outside of any internal injuries or damage, electrical burns are similar to other types of burns and are classified based onhow much tissue was damaged.Superficial and partial-thickness or second-degree burns are considered minor burns, while full-thickness or third-degree burns are major injuries.
What Degree Is Your Burn?
Superficial
Superficial burns are minor burns that affect only the top layer of your skin.
Signs of this type of burn include:
Partial-Thickness
Partial-thickness burns are usually minor burns, but if they are widespread enough they can be considered major burns. Sometimes calledsecond-degree burns, this type of injury burns the outer layer of skin and the underlying layer beneath it.
Signs of these burns include:
These burns are considered minor when they make up a space of less than 2 to 3 inches. They are classified as major burns when they affect a larger area or occur in the following areas:
Full-Thickness
Burn Pictures: A Close Look at First, Second, and Third Degree
How to Treat a Burn
Mild Burns
Minor or mild burns can usually be treated withcomfort measures and time. Below are some first aid techniques to treat minor burns like superficial or small second-degree burns.
Electric Shock: Causes, Effects & Treatment Options
Severe Burns
Major burns or more extensive minor burns usually require more formalmedical treatment. If you have a severe burn or are trying to help someone with a major burn, call 911 or head to the emergency department. Severe burns may require extensive treatments like:
How Different Degrees of Burns Are Treated
Complications and risks of electrical burns can include things like:
Burns can lead to severe and long-lasting neurological damage, and smoke that’s inhaled can damage the tissues in your throat and lungs.
Since electrical burns can cause damage to inner tissues that you might not see, it’s a good idea to visit a medical professional after any degree of electrical burn or injury.
If you have visible minor burns and choose not to seek immediate care, be sure to get additional help if you have:
When is a burn an emergency?
You should seek immediate care for any type of burn that:
If you seek medical treatment for an electrical burn or injury, your healthcare provider will ask you about what happened leading up to the injury. They will review your medical history, what caused the burn, and your general health before the injury. Additional tests and blood work may be required to gauge the full extent of your injury.
When it comes to dealing with an electrical burn and your long-term recovery, be aware that severe burns can require extensive treatment.
Major burns are recognized as the most traumatic and debilitating of all physical injuries due to the pain they cause and the widespread effect they can have on nearly every system in the body. Significant injury and even death may result from severe burns, and ongoing wound care and rehabilitation will be required.
Long-term effects of electrical injuries can also cause depression and a post-traumatic stress response known aspost electric shock syndrome. Talk to your doctor about any ongoing symptoms after an electrical injury. Damage from electrical currents can reach many parts of the body.
Summary
Electrical burns can vary in severity, and the damage they cause may not always be visible. For this reason, you may want to visit a healthcare provider after receiving an electrical burn or injury. Mild or low-grade burns are relatively easy to treat and many can be soothed at home, but major burns may call for an urgent visit to the emergency room.
A Word From Verywell
A small zap of electric shock isn’t enough to cause a burn, but it doesn’t take much more of a current to cause severe injuries. Electrical burns almost always require medical care because you may not be able to see the full amount of damage the electric current caused.
Learn MoreElectric Shock First Aid and Treatment
The feeling of an electric current passing through you depends on the strength of the current itself. A small amount of electricity can produce a buzz similar to static shock, while stronger currents can break bones or even cause your heart to stop.Learn MoreSigns and Symptoms of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
The feeling of an electric current passing through you depends on the strength of the current itself. A small amount of electricity can produce a buzz similar to static shock, while stronger currents can break bones or even cause your heart to stop.
Learn MoreSigns and Symptoms of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Electrical injuries don’t just cause damage to the skin. You can experience a host of problems impacting your nervous system and other body systems. A traumatic response to an electrical injury may be called post electric shock syndrome.Learn MoreSigns of Complex PTSD
Electrical injuries don’t just cause damage to the skin. You can experience a host of problems impacting your nervous system and other body systems. A traumatic response to an electrical injury may be called post electric shock syndrome.
Learn MoreSigns of Complex PTSD
An electric current can cause you injury without creating a visible burn. Electric currents that pass through your body can disrupt the normal electric activity that your heart and brain rely on. You can be burned and shocked at the same time, but you can also be shocked with an electric current without having a burn on your skin.Learn More10 Types of Second-Degree Burns
An electric current can cause you injury without creating a visible burn. Electric currents that pass through your body can disrupt the normal electric activity that your heart and brain rely on. You can be burned and shocked at the same time, but you can also be shocked with an electric current without having a burn on your skin.
Learn More10 Types of Second-Degree Burns
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cannon Law.Study: 10 years of Christmas-related injuries: 2008-2017.Zoll Medical Corporation.High-current vs. high-energy biphasic.Christmas Designers.Calculating how much electricity your Christmas lights and displays use.Learn Metrics.com.Watts to amps converter and calculator.Zemaitis MR, Foris LA, Lopez RA, et al.Electrical Injuries.StatPearls.Plante A.How the human body uses electricity.University of Maryland.MedlinePlus.Electrical injury.Bounds EJ, Khan M, Kok SJ.Electrical burns.StatPearls.MedlinePlus.Burns.Cleveland Clinic.Burns.Wesner ML, Hickie J.Long-term sequelae of electrical injury.Can Fam Physician. 2013;59(9):935-939. PMID:24029506
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cannon Law.Study: 10 years of Christmas-related injuries: 2008-2017.Zoll Medical Corporation.High-current vs. high-energy biphasic.Christmas Designers.Calculating how much electricity your Christmas lights and displays use.Learn Metrics.com.Watts to amps converter and calculator.Zemaitis MR, Foris LA, Lopez RA, et al.Electrical Injuries.StatPearls.Plante A.How the human body uses electricity.University of Maryland.MedlinePlus.Electrical injury.Bounds EJ, Khan M, Kok SJ.Electrical burns.StatPearls.MedlinePlus.Burns.Cleveland Clinic.Burns.Wesner ML, Hickie J.Long-term sequelae of electrical injury.Can Fam Physician. 2013;59(9):935-939. PMID:24029506
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cannon Law.Study: 10 years of Christmas-related injuries: 2008-2017.Zoll Medical Corporation.High-current vs. high-energy biphasic.Christmas Designers.Calculating how much electricity your Christmas lights and displays use.Learn Metrics.com.Watts to amps converter and calculator.Zemaitis MR, Foris LA, Lopez RA, et al.Electrical Injuries.StatPearls.Plante A.How the human body uses electricity.University of Maryland.MedlinePlus.Electrical injury.Bounds EJ, Khan M, Kok SJ.Electrical burns.StatPearls.MedlinePlus.Burns.Cleveland Clinic.Burns.Wesner ML, Hickie J.Long-term sequelae of electrical injury.Can Fam Physician. 2013;59(9):935-939. PMID:24029506
Cannon Law.Study: 10 years of Christmas-related injuries: 2008-2017.
Zoll Medical Corporation.High-current vs. high-energy biphasic.
Christmas Designers.Calculating how much electricity your Christmas lights and displays use.
Learn Metrics.com.Watts to amps converter and calculator.
Zemaitis MR, Foris LA, Lopez RA, et al.Electrical Injuries.StatPearls.
Plante A.How the human body uses electricity.University of Maryland.
MedlinePlus.Electrical injury.
Bounds EJ, Khan M, Kok SJ.Electrical burns.StatPearls.
MedlinePlus.Burns.
Cleveland Clinic.Burns.
Wesner ML, Hickie J.Long-term sequelae of electrical injury.Can Fam Physician. 2013;59(9):935-939. PMID:24029506
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