Medical professionals generally refer to four different types of burns and use a degree scale to classify a burn injury’s severity. The four types of burns include: thermal burns, chemical burns, eletrical burns, and radiation burns. Different types of burns require different treatments. First-degree burns are the least serious and generally only affect the outermost layer of skin. Second-degree burns are more severe and penetrate more deeply into the layers of skin, and third-degree burns completely destroy the skin in the affected area. A fourth-degree burn is any burn that exposes the underlying tissues or bones beneath the skin and is a medical emergency.