Microwave burns are burn injuries caused by thermal effects of microwave radiation absorbed in a living organism.
In comparison with radiation burns caused by ionizing radiation, where the dominant mechanism of tissue damage is internal cell damage caused by free radicals, the type of burn caused by microwave radiation is by heat—health effects colloquially associated with the term "radiation", such as radiation poisoning, cannot be caused by exposure to microwaves or other forms of non-ionizing radiation.
Microwave damage can manifest with a delay; pain or signs of skin damage can show some time after microwave exposure.[1]