Burns can hurt a lot and leave a scar if you don’t treat them properly. Find out how to act against different types of burns, what you can apply and what you can’t.
- What is a burn and what are its degrees?
- How to act in the event of a burn?
- How to cure a burn without blister?
- How to cure a blister burn?
- What can be applied to a burn?
Most burns occur at home (especially in the kitchen): a splash of oil, touching a burning pan, picking something from the oven, a rubbing of the iron…
Severe or very extensive burns require medical assistance, but what happens when you get a minor burn? We explain how to act and what can help you.
WHAT IS A BURN AND WHAT ARE ITS DEGREES?
A burn is an injury to the skin or other tissue caused by heat, electric current, radiation, or contact with chemicals.
As indicated by the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI), there are 3 degrees of burns:
- First-degree burns affect the outermost layer of skin and are usually not serious. They cause pain, redness, and swelling.
- Second-degree burns affect both the outer layer and some part of the dermis. In addition to pain, redness and swelling, they provoke the appearance of blisters.
- Third-degree burns involve the deep layers of the skin and are the most serious. The skin may be whitish, dark, or blackish and numb.
Depending on the areas affected, burns can be more severe, for example, if they occur on the face, genitals, hands, or feet. Also, in children and older people they tend to be worse, since their skin is thinner.
HOW TO HEAL A BURN: FIRST STEP
The first and most obvious thing is to move away from the heat source. Then, according to the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), you have to put the affected part under a stream of cold water for about 10 or 15 minutes to cool the skin and prevent the burn from going deeper and remove jewelry or clothing and everything that can keep the heat.
- If the clothes have stuck to the skin, you should not remove it. Refresh the area with water and go to a health center.
When the skin is cool, dry with small touches (don’t rub it) and examine the area to assess the severity of the burn. To treat third-degree burns, very extensive or very painful, it is essential to go to the hospital to receive the appropriate treatment, which depending on the severity can even consist of skin grafts. But if the burn is mild and affects a small area, you can treat it yourself by taking some precautions.
HOW TO CURE A BURN WITHOUT BLISTER?
After cooling and drying the burn area as we have discussed above, if it is a first-degree slight burn, it is convenient that you cover the burned area and check it from time to time to see its evolution. You can also apply a specific ointment for burns.
Depending on the areas affected, burns can be more severe, for example, if they occur on the face, genitals, hands, or feet. Also, in children and older people they tend to be worse, since their skin is thinner.
HOW TO HEAL A BURN: FIRST STEP
The first and most obvious thing is to move away from the heat source. Then, according to the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), you have to put the affected part under a stream of cold water for about 10 or 15 minutes to cool the skin and prevent the burn from going deeper and remove jewelry or clothing and everything that can keep the heat.
- If the clothes have stuck to the skin, you should not remove it. Refresh the area with water and go to a health center.
When the skin is cool, dry with small touches (don’t rub it) and examine the area to assess the severity of the burn. To treat third-degree burns, very extensive or very painful, it is essential to go to the hospital to receive the appropriate treatment, which depending on the severity can even consist of skin grafts. But if the burn is mild and affects a small area, you can treat it yourself by taking some precautions.
HOW TO CURE A BURN WITHOUT BLISTER?
After cooling and drying the burn area as we have discussed above, if it is a first-degree slight burn, it is convenient that you cover the burned area and check it from time to time to see its evolution. You can also apply a specific ointment for burns.
HOW TO CURE A BLISTER BURN?
The blisters, characteristic of second-degree burns, should not burst in any case, as they could become infected.
Once you have cooled skin and have dried it gently, cover it with a clean dressing that does not stick to the burn and keep it covered, without exposing it to the sun, as it could worsen healing and leave a signal in the form of darker skin.
Normally, the blister heals in a few days. If the blister breaks on its own, gently clean the area with soap and water and cover it again with a clean dressing (if it is specific for burns, better).
- If the blisters are very painful, they should be evaluated by a health professional.
WHAT CAN BE APPLIED TO A BURN?
Surely you have heard many popular tricks to cure burns, but not all work or are recommended.
Toothpaste is one of the best known, but from the SEMES they warn that not only does it not help, but it can be dangerous. Although at first it can provide a refreshing sensation, over time it dries out the skin.
Butter, in addition to retaining heat, can infect the skin so you should not apply it on a burn.
Ice is also not recommended because in contact with the skin it can also cause a cold burn, which would further aggravate the burn you already have.
What can be useful in superficial burns, but once the skin is healed, is rosehip oil or aloe vera, as it is shown to improve healing.
