The depth of a thermal burn determines treatment and prognosis. This depth is determined not only by the initial injury but by subsequent changes in the microcirculation. Clinicians have been searching for a microcirculatory monitor of the burn wound, as clinical evaluation is often unreliable. Orthogonal polarization spectral imaging (OPS) utilizes the illumination of tissue with polarized light within the hemoglobin spectrum. This allows assessment of individual capillaries of the cutaneous microcirculation and flow through these vessels in real time. We report the clinical use of orthogonal polarization spectral imaging to provide live images of burn wounds. The appearance of superficial burns with dermal capillaries and visible blood flow is distinctly contrasted by the complete absence of these capillaries and lack of flow in deep burns as seen with the OPS system. This methodology is thus a diagnostic tool in assessing the perfusion of skin. As a noninvasive, portable, and safe device, this method of burn assessment will prove valuable in burn treatment. This technology may have a direct bearing on a similar classification of the sulfur mustard (HD) induced wound which may also determine specific treatment.