First aid for burns
The first and most important thing is to stop the hot action and cool the burn site with cool running water for 15–20 minutes. This reduces the depth of damage and relieves pain. Clothing, if it is not stuck, is carefully removed, as well as rings and bracelets, before swelling increases. After cooling, cover the burn with a clean cloth or sterile bandage without cotton wool. Painkillers are taken if necessary. Extensive burns should not be cooled for a long time, especially in children, due to the risk of hypothermia.
- Remove the heat source and remove hot clothing
- Cool with cool running water for 15–20 minutes
- Remove rings, watches, bracelets before swelling appears
- Cover with a clean, dry cloth or sterile dressing.
- Give painkillers for severe pain
- In case of a chemical burn, rinse with water for longer, 20 or more minutes.
- Call 103 for extensive and deep burns
What not to do
Folk remedies are not only useless, but also harmful: butter, sour cream, cream, fat-based ointments retain heat in the tissues and interfere with cooling, and also contaminate the wound. Ice causes additional damage to blood vessels and deepens the burn. You cannot open the blisters yourself: their covering protects the wound from infection. Clothing stuck to the wound is not torn off; the doctor removes it. Toothpaste, alcohol, iodine, brilliant green and urine on the burn surface are unacceptable.
- Do not smear with oil, sour cream, cream, toothpaste
- Do not apply ice or freeze the skin
- Do not open or cut off bubbles
- Do not remove stuck clothes
- Do not treat with alcohol, iodine, brilliant green
- Do not use cotton wool or plaster directly on the wound
- Do not use folk and untested remedies
Degree and area of burn
Depth is assessed by appearance and sensitivity. First degree - redness and pain, like a sunburn, heals in a few days. The second is blisters with transparent contents, the skin underneath is pink and painful, healing takes 1–3 weeks. With a deep burn, the skin is dense, white, brown or black, and there is no pain because the nerve endings have died. To quickly estimate the area, use the palm rule: the victim’s palm, together with the fingers, makes up approximately one percent of the body surface.
- I degree - redness and pain without blisters
- Stage II - blisters with clear liquid
- III degree - dense white or brown scab, no pain
- The victim’s palm is approximately 1% of the body area
- A burn of more than 10% of the area in an adult requires hospitalization
- In children, a noticeably smaller area is considered dangerous
Treatment
Superficial burns of a small area are treated on an outpatient basis: the wound is cleaned, bandages with antiseptics or special wound coverings are applied, and they are changed according to a schedule. If necessary, the doctor drains large, tense blisters under sterile conditions. Oral antibiotics are prescribed only for signs of infection, and not for prevention. Deep burns require surgical treatment: removal of dead tissue and skin grafting. Extensive burns are treated in a hospital with replacement of fluid losses. Be sure to check whether the victim has been vaccinated against tetanus.
- Washing the wound and dressing with antiseptics
- Modern wound coverings and atraumatic dressings
- Pain relief as prescribed by a doctor
- Drainage of large blisters by a doctor
- Antibiotics only for signs of infection
- Necrectomy and skin grafting for deep burns
- Prevention of tetanus
- Infusion therapy for extensive burns
Healing, scars and prevention
Superficial burns heal without scarring, but the skin remains sensitive to the sun for several months, so it is protected with clothing and sunscreen. After deep burns, scars form that require long-term rehabilitation: compression hosiery, silicone coverings, stretching exercises and medical supervision. Prevention at home is especially important where there are small children: most children's burns occur in the kitchen and bathroom, when hot drinks and dishes are knocked over.
- Protecting healed skin from the sun
- Moisturizing the skin after healing
- Compression therapy and silicone coating for scars
- Turn the handles of the pots deeper into the stove
- Do not keep hot drinks near your child
- Check the temperature of the bath water
- Keep chemicals out of the reach of children
