Why Did My Epidermal Burn Look Like White Foam? Please Respond With Reasonable Answers.

[Radium]

Hi:

I once suffered a burn wound after accidentally touching a hot plate. I
think it was a superficial burn [only epidermis injured]. The skin
texture and moisture content didn't change at all. There was no
swelling at all. The burn healed long time ago. However, I am still
curious as to why the burn wound looked like white foam. I am very
dark-skinned [literally as dark as an Oreo cookie]. My burn wound
appeared white -- like white foam. It was not cold, so vasoconstriction
didn't cause the color change. The wound was unusually hot, extremely
irritating, painful and foamy white. The plate wasn't nearly hot enough
to dehydrate my skin at all. Plus the duration of contact wasn't long
enough to dehydrate my skin in the burn region. So dehydration is not
what made my burn look white.

If it is important to note, my burn wound did not turn red at all
during any stage of the burn. It was white at first. As it healed, the
wound began to regain its normal dark color and eventually matched the
color of the rest of my skin.

It is highly probable that the heat from the plate denatured the
protein molecules of the epidermis in the burn. Denaturation causes
proteins to lose their non-covalent bonds, to form covalent bonds and
to coagulate. So I think - but definitely don't know -- that it is the
protein denaturation that caused the burn wound to look like white
foam.

I am aware that *denaturation* and *coagulation* aren't necessarily the
same thing. Denaturation leads to coagulation but the two aren't
exactly the same thing.

Denaturation = the breaking of non-covalent bonds

Coagulation = the formation of covalent bonds

Here is my question. Is it the *denaturation* or the *coagulation* [or
both] that caused my burn to look white?


Thanks,

Radium


My email address is glucegen1b_at_excite_dot_com [notice the "b"]

I don't use glucegen1_at_excite_dot_com

[Manky Badger]

"Radium" <glucegen1@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1138902520.332139.177610@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

[Nichevo]

Being stupid and lazy is not an excuse to pester the rest of us.

Google is your friend, Do your own research into your esoteric
fetishes:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=melanin+denaturation
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=melanin+coagulation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorder

Now f*** off!

[Radium]

Manky Badger wrote:

[Manky Badger]

"Radium" <glucegen1@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1138929098.473297.108270@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

[Dirk Bruere at Neopax]

Radium wrote:

[Google]