What is a typical characteristic of a third degree burn?

A third-degree burn is characterized by a full-thickness injury to the skin. This type of burn involves the complete destruction of both the epidermis and the dermis, leading to necrosis of the skin. The skin may appear white, charred, or leathery and lacks the ability to heal on its own due to the extensive damage to the tissue.

In contrast, blistering is often seen in first and second-degree burns, which affect only the outer layers of the skin. Redness and erythema are also typical of first-degree burns and superficial second-degree burns, where the skin is still intact and only superficial layers are damaged. Swelling may occur in various burn degrees, but it is not a defining characteristic of third-degree burns specifically.

Thus, the presence of necrosis of the skin clearly indicates a third-degree burn, as it highlights the severity and complete loss of skin integrity due to the injury.