Young Writers Society

Okay, I need to know something. If someone would toss a cup of coffee on you would you get third degree burns? Would your face kinda fold over? What would it look like (the burns i mean).
I need to know the following info because of a section of something Im writing. Whenever I look it up on google I just get some McDonalds thing.

So, help if you can.

Eh, I'm not a coffe expert, but I doubt the coffe would do that much damage. People spill some on their hands all the time. But then again, this is the face we're talking about . . . But people drink hot coffe all the time! I mean, wouldn't their lips get all big and ugly and puffy . . . like Mamimi? (I'm sorry, but do you know who that is? Maybe I mispelt the name? . . . . )

Anyways, please excuse my rambling . . . But, no, I don't think it would cause third degree burns. Maybe first degree, but probably not third. But more then likely, the face would just get really, REALLY red.

Wait, hold up . . . how hot is the coffe? . . . is it like regular hot coffe, or is it boil-until-it's-hot-as-plasma coffe? . . . ya know what . . . yeah . . . I'm just gonna leave it at that.

By the way, if you want to do some more research, try finding out how hot coffe can get, then find out at what temperature water has to get until it melts someone's skin off. That's a pleasent topic isn't it?

Well, I hope I helped with your research and stuff!

***__THELUCKYFLOWER__***

Oh, and I forgot to mention: the skin would probably start peeling off like thin layers of slightly transparent pudding skin -- not too dry, but not sopping wet either.

First, second and third degree burns.

On children, whose flesh is very thin and sensitive, scalding water can be devistating.


On adults, however, it usually doesn't even warrent a blister, and if it does, they're filled with
clear fluid and are red and sore for several weeks. As far as I know, coffee can't do THAT much damage, even if it is hot.

I didn't post the images because some of them are a bit graphic. Just a warning.

A third degree burn is what 'melts' flesh. They are pretty deadly. If you want a good example of a third degree burn,
click here. But I WARN YOU IN ADVANCE, IT IS EXTREMELY ICKY.


Good info on burns in general.

Oh yeah!

I burnt myself by accident with boiling soup when I was nine (the stupid cafeteria served it on paper plates!). It left a bubble on my wrist. It was filled with this opaque-ish white liquid. It was very amusing to poke at; visable little black things (I guess they were the lifted scabs from inside or something) kept floating around. It lasted for about a week or two. It was actually quite disappointing when it busted while I was sleeping. But that was when I was nine. It probably wouldn't happen again now that I'm older with thicker skin.

Lol, I bet that McDonald's thing you're talking about was the lawsuit where the woman dumped some McDonald's coffee on her lap and it gave her some pretty bad burns. She then sued McDonald's for not having a warning on the coffee cup that it was hot.

I think she won something up the millions of dollars range.

I would think it would blister...

theluckyflower wrote:Eh, I'm not a coffe expert, but I doubt the coffe would do that much damage. People spill some on their hands all the time. But then again, this is the face we're talking about . . . But people drink hot coffe all the time! I mean, wouldn't their lips get all big and ugly and puffy . . . like Mamimi? (I'm sorry, but do you know who that is? Maybe I mispelt the name? . . . . )

yes
I know who Mamimi is (big fLcL fan here).

Thank you all for the info. See in my situation in the part of the story Im on somebody is taking my main character, and my main character grabs the first thing he sees. And what he sees is a hot steaming styrophome cup of coffee. So he grabs the coffee and tosses it in this dudes face.
I kinda want to write down what kind of burn it is and all the messy details of how the burn looks.

And for all the help in such a short ammount of time I will reward you all.
........
with a dancing elephant

your welcome

If its in a styrofoam cup, if won't to any damage. it'll shock, and thats about all. If you want REAL damage, have him grab the whole coffee pot! Glass stands up to heat much better that plastic.

WOW, after reading all these descriptions of minor to major burns, I no longer think I am the recipient of a contagion .

From here on out I have only spilled coffee on myself.

Galatea wrote:If its in a styrofoam cup, if won't to any damage. it'll shock, and thats about all. If you want REAL damage, have him grab the whole coffee pot! Glass stands up to heat much better that plastic.

hmmm
I like the idea of using the whole pot. Thank you.

Yeah, that will warrent at LEAST second degree burns, and definitly blisters.

It seems you've gotten enough information on the burn side of things, so here's a little knowledge I gleaned from personal experiences...

It hurts. Like HELL. Ow ow ow ow. Especially when spread over a large area of skin. Yes, I ran into my professor last week while she was carrying a freshly brewed cup of coffee... and not only did it do permanent damage to my white skirt (*mourns*) it also hurt. Like hell. But I already said that. I have a pretty high pain-threshold... and I had to try really, really hard not to cry.

^
Ouch. coffee burns must suck. Well just for all your pain you get a dancing elephant just for you.