About a third the length of a cigarette, although not as thick. Came from my arm hitting the inside of a woodstove’s door. White and starting to blister after a half an hour.
I realize both that burns can be serious and also that no one here is my doctor. But is a burn this small worth seeking medical attention?
No. Keep it covered and clean. I’ve been burned in similar ways a number of times.
I didn’t think so either, but hey, it’s my first 3rd degree 
Thanks for the input.
I thought blistering was only second degree?
Did it hurt? If so, it’s not a third degree burn.
Also, a third degree burn would involve charring of the skin.
From what I understand a 3rd degree burn can be either charred or white. Right now it’s a white patch, surrounded by red, which is probably where the pain is coming from. The blistering, if that’s even what it was seems to have stopped
A 3rd degree burn involves the full thickness of the dermis.
I would have it checked by a doctor.
Pain might still be felt at the margins of a third-degree burn, where the damage isn’t as severe. In the OP’s case, the burn is small enough that the distinction between “margin” and “interior” is difficult to define.
As for charring, not necessarily. burn degree describes the depth of the damage, not the temperature involved. A third-degree burn can happen by quick exposure to high temps (as in the present case), or by longer exposure to lower temps. A disturbing example can be found in the case of David Allen Kirwan, who jumped into a Yellowstone hot spring to save his dog, and suffered third-degree burns over 100% of his body from the 212-degree water. No charring at all.
As mentioned I’ve been burned in a similar manner several times, including a wood stove like the OP, a regular kitchen stove, and a soldering iron. The burns are small, looking larger because more of the top layer skin is burned than the area underneath. There’s been no charring, just white skin,and the lack of pain was a clear indication of a 3rd degree burn. All healed completely with no complications. This is a minor injury.
I have gotten what was probably a third degree burn before when a big drop of hot solder fell on my leg (not much pain and a white spot); it took about a month to fully heal even though it was maybe 1/3 of an inch across (complicated my me absentmindedly scratching it about a week later because it itched, tearing open the thin layer of skin that had formed and causing it to bleed; now, several years later, there is no sign of it, but if it were on your face I’d want to get treatment for it).
A full thickness burn does not typically blister because the entire thickness of skin is destroyed.
A partial thickness burn will often blister.
From a treatment standpoint, the difference is that a full thickness burn will leave a scarred area over the part with a full thickness burn, and if that area is large enough or in an important enough area, a skin graft is used.
Small area burns–even full thickness–that don’t injure underlying tendons or nerves or the like do not require emergency treatment or evaluation beyond ordinary burn care. In my opinion professional consultation is not required because it’s going to be to keep the burn clean and covered until it heals or obviously needs grafting…
No doc needed for what you described. It’s fortunate that you have it in a relatively low contact area vs hand or foot. Be scrupulous about keeping it clean and use antibacterial ointment liberally. Keep it exposed to the air as much as possible to promote healing. A bandage may be necessary in certain scenarios but airflow is critical to promote healing.
Try not to get the healing area too wet while taking showers. Too much water will cause the healing area scab to degrade and potentially re-open