Relieve a burn at home quickly. Chemical skin burn: treatment at home

Treatment of burn wounds at home is only possible if the injury meets several criteria:

• the burn is of the first or second degree of severity;
• the necessary sterile preparations and medicines are at hand;
• the affected area is not on the face, hand, foot or genitals;
• the burn area does not exceed the size of the palm;
• the patient does not experience any disturbances in the general condition of the body (headaches, fever, nausea).

If the burn wound meets the criteria of the 3rd or 4th degree of severity, or a child is injured, it is necessary to consult a traumatologist. Even if an adult has been injured, the help of a specialist will not be superfluous - in a medical institution you can get advice on treating wounds at home.

First aid at home

First of all, the victim must be freed from the outbreak: put out the flame, remove burnt or scalded clothing, trying to injure the affected area of ​​the body as little as possible. The burn must be kept under running cold water for 10-20 minutes to reduce the temperature of the damaged surface and prevent the damaging factor from spreading.

Note. In order to somehow “calm down” the injury at home, the injury is washed with a solution of soda (if affected by acid) or citric acid (if exposed to alkali).

The victim needs to restore water balance. When treating burns at home, it is allowed to give the patient drinks such as:

• coffee;
• alkaline mineral water;
• dehydration solution (add 1 teaspoon of soda and 1 teaspoon of salt per liter of water).

How to treat a burn: medicines and folk remedies

When choosing medications at home that help with burns, it is necessary to exclude fatty ointments and other products containing fat - they do not allow the wound to “breathe”.

Important. For bandages applied to the injured area, fabric-based products are used. Under no circumstances should you use cotton wool!

Before smearing a burn wound at home, you need to make sure you have a sterile bandage or gauze - an unprotected wound can easily get infected

You can use medications from your home medicine cabinet such as:

• ointment "Mefenat";
• gel "Actovegin";
• aerosol "Panthenol";
• "Levomekol";
• "Levosin".

On a note. For burns at home, preparations containing silver are often used - Dermazin or Argosulfan. They have strong anti-infective properties. The edges of the wound can be treated with a solution of brilliant green to prevent infection.

In folk medicine, there are quite a few remedies for burns that can be used at home. So, when providing first aid, the affected area can be lubricated with toothpaste - it has pain-relieving properties and prevents the appearance of blisters.

When treating, you can use vegetables and fruits on hand. One of the most common means for compresses is grated raw potatoes, which are wrapped in gauze and applied to the affected area.

When treating burns, it is strictly forbidden to open blisters - this can lead to wound contamination and the development of infections.

What foods will help with a burn?

The following products are also used in treatment:

• cabbage (a cold leaf of the vegetable is applied to the burn and held until it warms up, after which it is changed or kept in cold water until it cools);
• pumpkin, carrots (raw products are grated and applied to burned areas);
• the burn site can be sprinkled with ground dry pomegranate peel, after which the wound becomes covered with a crust and healing begins;
• the affected area is sometimes covered with a mixture of egg white and sauerkraut or cabbage itself;
• juice from fresh dill is diluted with chilled water in a ratio of one to two, and lotions are made.

For better recovery, you need to eat certain foods that promote skin regeneration - lean beef, figs, onions, garlic, radishes, cabbage, almonds.

Cabbage leaf can be used immediately after a burn - it cools the skin and soothes it.

Note. During the recovery process, it is necessary to carefully monitor the patient's health. At the slightest suspicion of its deterioration, you should contact a medical facility.

How to cure a burn with medicinal plants

Traditional medicine has many means to eliminate the consequences of burn wounds.

1. Peeled and grated to a pulp, an aloe leaf is applied directly to the site of injury. The treated wound is wrapped in gauze.
2. A decoction is prepared from two parts of oak bark and ten parts of water. The cooled product is used to prepare compresses, lotions, and for washing wounds. A decoction of linden flowers is also used (only it is prepared in a ratio of 1:10).
3. An ointment is prepared based on tincture of calendula and petroleum jelly: the components are mixed in a ratio of 1:2, respectively. Apply the resulting mixture to the burn.

Folk remedies for burns on the face

Aloe juice is the most popular medicine for treating burns on the face. Using products based on it, special lotions and compresses are made.

Often, especially on hot sunny days, burns appear on the skin of the face. To eliminate them, you can use traditional medicine, which is easy to prepare yourself. The most popular are:

• Special lotions are made with cotton swabs soaked in aloe juice. The drug is used 2-3 times a day, usually for no more than a week.
• A teaspoon of propolis is mixed with three tablespoons of water. Soak a cotton pad in the resulting solution and apply it to the affected area for 10-15 minutes.
• Essential oil from rose petals is mixed with vitamin E. This mixture should be rubbed into the damaged area of ​​the skin two to three times a day.
• It is recommended to apply a honey mask to the face for 15-20 minutes three to four times a day, after which the product is washed off with cold water. To prepare the drug, use a teaspoon of honey and vegetable oil, as well as an egg yolk. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed.

Essential oils for skin burns

Aromatherapy is often used to treat skin burns caused by the scorching sun.

Important. Even with minor burns, you should take the problem seriously - frequent injuries are fraught with the development of other diseases, including skin cancer.

Ten to twelve drops of lavender oil are diluted in a tablespoon of chilled boiled water. The resulting mixture is applied to the burn site. If the skin damage is serious (it is covered with blisters), the body area is covered with undiluted oil.

Important. It must be remembered that essential oils are used only after receiving burns. Under no circumstances should they be used as sunscreens.

Treating burn wounds at home often has no worse effect than undergoing procedures in a medical facility. But even with minor damage, it is better to consult a specialist to prevent unwanted consequences.

Burns that meet the following conditions can be treated at home:

1. I–II degree burns. These are superficial lesions accompanied by swelling and redness of the skin. The formation of bubbles with transparent contents, covered with a thin film, is possible. For deeper burns, you should consult a traumatologist.
2. The burn area is no more than 1% (palm area). With a more extensive lesion, there is a high probability of developing a burn disease, which must be treated by a specialist.
3. Normal general condition – absence of fever, disturbances of consciousness and other disorders of important body functions.
4. No purulent complications at the burn site.
5. The possibility of timely care for a burn wound, the availability of medications, normal sanitary conditions, as well as the desire of the victim himself to treat the burn at home.

   To treat burns at home, you need to follow these steps:

   1. Termination of the damaging factor.
   2. General effect on the body.
   3. Local effect on a burn wound.

   Termination of the damaging factor

   First of all, it is necessary to stop the exposure of the skin to the damaging factor as quickly as possible.

   In case of a fire burn, it is necessary to extinguish the burning clothing and move the victim further from the source of fire. If a burn occurs with boiling water or, for example, molten metal or other liquid, you need to quickly remove clothing from the surface of the body, carefully removing it or cutting it. In this case, it is desirable to injure the burned surface as little as possible.

   The affected area of ​​the body must be quickly immersed in cold water or placed under running cold water for several minutes. Make sure that the stream of water does not hit directly on the wound, but simply flows down the burned surface. After cooling a thermal burn, you can apply a little baking soda to the affected skin under the bandage.

   In case of a chemical burn, the affected area should be quickly rinsed under running water (except for burns with quicklime). Then, in case of an acid burn, the skin is washed with a solution of baking soda, and in case of an alkali burn, with a weak solution of citric acid.

   General effects on the body

   The victim is given plenty of fluids. You can drink hot tea, coffee, alkaline mineral water in sufficient volume (up to 2 liters). The following solution will help avoid dehydration: for 1 liter of water or tea, half a teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of table salt.

   For pain relief, you can take analgin, acetylsalicylic acid, other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as complex preparations containing diphenhydramine.

   When treated at home, the victim should receive easily digestible high-calorie foods rich in proteins and fat-soluble vitamins (A, E). Additional intake of these vitamins is justified (the simplest solution is Aevit).

   Local treatment of burns

   It is recommended to treat the burned surface with 70% ethyl alcohol or regular vodka and cover with a sterile bandage. For a thermal burn, you can apply a little baking soda under this bandage. A bandage is applied on top. It is better not to use cotton wool for the treatment of burn wounds, as it dries to the edges of the wound and causes additional trauma and pain.

   It is not recommended to open the resulting bubble yourself. Of course, most likely the big bubble will soon burst on its own. However, the longer the protective covering remains over the burn surface, the better the skin underneath will recover. Therefore, it is better to leave the bubble alone, and after it spontaneously opens, carefully press the lid of the bubble onto the wound using a sterile napkin.

   Intact skin around the burn can be treated with an antiseptic, such as brilliant green. This will help reduce the risk of wound infection.

   The napkin used to cover the burn can be moistened in solutions with an antiseptic effect, for example, Chlorhexidine, Furacilin. Using a decoction or infusion of St. John's wort also helps. However, you should not moisturize the burn surface too much, as this will slow down healing.

   It is recommended to apply panthenol-based ointments or aerosols to the surface of a first-degree burn (redness), as well as to the skin around the blister (second-degree). They promote healing of burn wounds and restoration of the skin. It is good to have such a remedy in your home medicine cabinet, especially if there is a child in the family. It is acceptable to use Vishnevsky ointment, Levomekol and other similar products with an antimicrobial and wound-healing effect. Such products do not need to be applied to the skin immediately after a burn; you need to wait until the first, most acute manifestations of the injury subside.

   There is no need to lubricate burns with oil without the advice of a doctor. Of course, in some cases such remedies help a lot. However, oil compresses can cause pathogenic microorganisms to multiply on the burn surface and also inhibit skin repair processes. After consultation with a doctor, the use of sea buckthorn oil or an oil solution of vitamin E is allowed.

   You should monitor the condition of the burn wound daily, change bandages in a timely manner, and monitor the general well-being of the victim. If there is any deterioration of the general or local condition, you should seek medical help. Sometimes delay is dangerous due to the development of severe complications, including severe burn disease, infection of the burn, purulent foci in various organs. Burn exhaustion can even lead to the death of the patient. Any burn is a serious injury. If you are uncertain about its course, it is better not to take risks and not to be treated without the supervision of a specialist.

   Which doctor should I contact?

   
   Lubricating the burn site with aloe juice is unsafe, as it can cause an allergic reaction and aggravate the patient's condition.

   If you receive a burn, you must consult a traumatologist. Only a specialist can assess the severity of the lesion and prescribe the necessary treatment. In severe cases, you have to contact a surgeon. The surgical specialty that doctors who treat burns have is called combustiology. When burns are healing, you can contact a dermatologist to select therapy that restores the skin. Cosmetic defects and scars after such an injury can be eliminated by a plastic surgeon or cosmetologist.

In everyday life, rarely does a person get by without injuries. Scratches, abrasions, cuts, bruises constantly haunt us. Burns are thermal injuries caused by high temperatures. But, as they say, burns are different from scalds.

How to treat without knowing the cause and extent of injury?

They differ:

1. by source of exposure to thermal, radiation, electrical, chemical burns;
2. according to the severity of injury from burns in the first, second, third and fourth degrees.

Treating burns at home requires a very clear knowledge of the circumstances of the incident.

Why do you need to know this?

How to treat a burn depends on the type and, above all, the degree of damage. How they are classified, in what cases it is possible to treat at home, and when qualified medical care is needed, what helps with burns, how to get rid of a burn, its consequences - it is important for everyone to know.

Severity of injuries

First degree:

1. slight redness of the skin;
2. minor pain.

The patient does not need hospitalization; burns can be treated at home.

Second degree:

1. was scalded by hot water or another liquid, or spilled a chemical on himself;
2. laying on the beach in the sun for too long, especially in the south, in overseas countries, in a solarium;
3. the affected area is comparable to your own palm;
4. The skin not only turned red, blisters appeared.

The impact of burns is more serious, you need to see a specialist.

Third degree:

1. Skin damage is deep;
2. subcutaneous tissue and nerve endings are damaged;
3. The victim's condition is moderate - serious or severe.

Doctors' intervention is required; skin grafting is likely to be performed.

Fourth degree

1. a significant part of the skin is burned, the injuries are deep;
2. the functioning of internal organs is affected;
3. the general condition of the patient is serious.

Relying on the Lord God and doctors often ends in death.

For all types of injuries, it is very important to provide first aid, which can significantly reduce the pain experienced by a person and significantly influence the course of further treatment. Promptness and correctness of assistance sometimes saves life itself.

The first, but very important actions in case of a burn

1. Stop contact with high temperature sources, such as electric current.
2. Calm yourself, that is, the one who provides help. Only in this case, the person providing assistance begins to think not about how bad and painful the other is, but what to do to help.
3. Calm the victim.
4. Give him a pill to take orally to relieve pain and counteract inflammation - Ibuprofen, Ketanov, aspirin, diphenhydramine.
5. Remove some clothing from the injured area.
6. Rinse with water for 20 minutes.
7. Lubricate the burn with a solution of potassium permanganate, in case of a burn with alkali, treat with water with a few drops of citric or acetic acid, in case of acid damage, wash with soapy water or sprinkle with soda.
8. If the eye is affected, drip 1-2 drops of chloramphenicol, sodium sulfacyl.
9. Apply a bandage of gauze, preferably from a special dressing material, Combixin or Diosept. Do not apply a cotton wool bandage.

Remember and do not do the following

• rinse the quicklime with water, as it reacts with water;
• use medications for external use due to the possibility of a negative reaction of the chemical with them;
• use vegetable oil, except sea buckthorn and St. John's wort;
• use alcohol-containing products, brilliant green, iodine;
• puncture blisters;
• remove pieces of tissue from the wound yourself;
• cover the affected area with adhesive tape;
• pee on your finger, sorry, use urine.

Medicines

It is possible to treat a burn at home in cases of first or second severity. Treatment consists, first of all, in reducing suffering from pain and preventing the wound from festering.

Pharmacological enterprises produce a large number of anti-burn drugs. They are presented in various forms: ointments, gels, sprays, creams, aerosols. The ointment remains on the wound for a longer time; sprays and aerosols are easier and painless to apply.

Gels are better, provide faster pain relief, and cleanse the wound of suppuration. Foams and creams are absorbed faster than ointments.

Medicines differ not only in their composition, but also in their mechanism of action. This is reflected in the attached instructions, which you should read, or better yet, consult with your doctor. All medicines have antiseptic, wound-healing, restorative properties to a greater or lesser extent.

What is the best way to treat a burn?

Of the many drugs intended for this, the most popular are the following:

1. Betadine- antiseptic, has wide application
2. Levomekol– an effective, bactericidal medicine, relieves pain, helps restore skin
3. Solcoseryl– for skin restoration
4. Panthenol– anti-inflammatory, regenerative effect, popular, recommended for families with children
5. Amprovisol- relieves pain, antiseptic, prevents inflammation from developing, promotes healing
6. Olazol- relieves pain, disinfects, accelerates wound healing
7. Karipazim– a medicine with a wide range of applications

Folk remedies

A wide range of folk remedies can help treat burns at home. They include a large number of herbs, plants, the use of vegetables, and other products. If the burn is small, then treatment with them will be quite effective.

1. Vegetables

• Potatoes help relieve pain and recover, especially from overheating in the sun. It needs to be grated, mixed with sour cream (fat kefir), and applied in a not very thick layer to the affected area. Can be placed on gauze, put in the same place. How to treat if there are no potatoes at home? Starch will do.
• Also grate the carrots and make a compress similar to potatoes.
• Cabbage leaf. Wash, cool, apply to the sore, hold until it becomes warm. Cool again, repeat.
• Pumpkin. Peel, rub and apply.
• Dill. Squeeze juice from freshly cut dill, dilute with cold water one to two, make lotions
• Lemon. Drip the juice several times, the pain will subside.
• Pomegranate. Grind the dried peel into powder and powder the sore spot.

2. Using an egg.

• Protein is applied to the sore spot. The dried protein will fall off on its own.
• Break an egg, beat it, then apply it to the burned part of the body several times until it is cured.
• Take the yolk from a hard-boiled egg, which is fried with vegetable oil in a frying pan, stirring constantly, over low heat until the yolk turns black. Then drain the oil, cool it, and lubricate the injured area. The skin recovers quickly, scars are hardly noticeable.

3. Sour cream (fat kefir, yogurt).

The most popular, time-tested remedy for overheating in the sun. The process is as follows: take a cool shower, bath, lightly apply sour cream. Can be done several times until recovery.

4. Tea.

Pour boiling water over black or green tea, cool, wet gauze, and apply.

5. Vegetable oil.

• You need to prepare in advance in the following way. Mix 2 cups of St. John's wort flowers and 200 milliliters of sunflower oil and place in a dark place. After 21 days, squeeze out the resulting infusion and use. Fold the gauze in several rows (called a compress), soak it in the infusion of oil, and apply it to the sore.
• Mix 100 milliliters of flaxseed oil with chopped onion and make a compress.
• Multi-layer gauze is soaked in sea buckthorn oil and applied to the sore spot. Sea buckthorn greatly promotes healing and regeneration for all types of burns.
• You just have to remember that oil treatment can be carried out only 1 – 2 days after the injury.

6. Plants.

• Prepare a decoction of linden flowers in a ratio of 1:10, then wash the wound.
• Wipe the burn area with aloe or Kalanchoe juice and use crushed leaves in a compress.
• Plantain juice, its leaves, and stinging nettle juice work well as a wound-healing, antimicrobial agent.
• Burdock root ointment helps a lot. It is boiled for 40-45 minutes, then kneaded, mixed with butter 1 to 4 and applied.
• Take two parts of Vaseline and one part of calendula tincture, stir and apply.
• Pour 6 fresh, finely chopped lily flowers with 150-200 milliliters of vegetable oil, use after 3-4 days.
• Grind the oak bark and poplar buds, take seven tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of oak raw material and one bud, mix. Place the mixture in a warm place for half a day, then heat it in a water bath for half an hour and strain.
• Other means:
• Mint toothpaste, toothpaste with propolis relieves pain and prevents blisters from appearing.
• Dilute 1 tablespoon of soda in 200 milliliters of water, moisten a swab, apply it, it will feel better.

1. Cream Panthenol-911 - you can distinguish the best one by a smiley face
2. Algipor - from seaweed
3. Gel spray for hand skin
4. Ointment Melitopol
5. Ointment Emalan
6. Sulfargin ointment is recommended by women not only for burns, but also for scratches in children
7. Spray Olazol with sea buckthorn oil
8. Lioxazine – gel, wipes

Burns affect the condition of the skin. How to get rid of the consequences?

After burns, blisters appear and new skin forms underneath. It is very thin and delicate, therefore, to prevent it from cracking and strengthening, you need to use ointments and creams.

If the wounds get wet or burns do not heal well, you can apply a solution of potassium permanganate, it dries. Using a mixture of bodyaga powder and vegetable oil, old scars can be resolved.

Nutrition also affects the recovery process of the affected area, so it is recommended to eat vegetables, nuts, lean beef, and take vitamin E more often during this period.

A burn is tissue damage as a result of high temperature, chemicals, or radiation. This is the most common injury that can occur in everyday life. This is especially true for thermal burns.

There is probably no person who has not been scalded by boiling water or burned by hot oil at least once in his life. Treatment of minor skin burns can be carried out at home; you do not always need to go to the doctor.

Most of these injuries resolve within a few days. But you need to know how to relieve pain, how to speed up healing, and in what cases you still need to seek medical help.

How do people most often get burned?

• Half of all cases are contact with open fire (fires, bonfires, flames in a stove, ignition of gasoline).
• 20% is scalding with boiling water or steam.
• 10% is contact with hot objects.
• 20% - other factors (acids, alkalis, sunburn, electric current).

Every third person burned is a child. Most often (75% of cases) the arms and hands are burned.

What are they?

Because of:

• Thermal.
• Chemical.
• Electrical.
• Radiation.

I and II degrees refer to superficial burns, in which only the top layer of skin, the epidermis, is affected. When uncomplicated, they heal without leaving scars.

III and IV degrees are deep burns, with damage to all layers of the skin and underlying tissues. They heal with the formation of a rough scar.

What burns can be treated at home?

You can treat at home:

• 1st degree burns in adults, not exceeding 10% of the body area;
• 2nd degree burns not exceeding 1% of the body.

How to determine the degree?

1st degree burn – manifested by swelling, redness of the skin, pain, sensitivity to touch, and there may be small blisters.

Stage 2 is characterized by the addition of large blisters filled with liquid to the above symptoms.

How to determine area?

The easiest way to determine the burn surface area of ​​a home is the palm method. The area of ​​a person's palm is conventionally taken to be 1% of the area of ​​the entire body.

When should you seek medical help immediately?

How to treat burns at home

1. Stop contact with the burning factor. Put out the flames on your clothes and move away from the fire. If you are burned by boiling water, immediately remove clothing in contact with the body. Throw a hot object.
2. Cool the burn surface. It is best to do this under running water at a temperature of 10-18 degrees. You can immerse the limb in a container of water or apply a damp cloth. You need to cool for 5 to 10 minutes; in case of a chemical burn, rinse with running water for up to 20 minutes (except for burns with quicklime). Cooling has an analgesic effect and also prevents the spread of heating of healthy tissue at the border of the burn.
3. Anesthesia. For severe pain, you can take paracetamol, ibuprofen, ketanov, analgin, and other analgesics.
4. Local treatment. The main goal in treating burns is to protect the surface from germs, relieve pain and speed up the restoration of the damaged layer of skin. They simply use sterile wipes, special wipes for burns, sprays and ointments that promote healing.
5. General treatment. It would be a good idea to take general restorative medications, as well as follow a proper diet, so that the burn heals faster and without consequences. It is recommended to increase the amount of protein in the diet (meat, fish, dairy products), as well as vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins. Additionally, you can take vitamin C and Aevit. It is recommended to drink more.

Pharmacy drugs

So, you got a burn from boiling water or oil. They cooled it down, assessed that it was small and shallow, its condition was generally satisfactory, and it could be treated at home. It's worth looking into the first aid kit. Those who are prudent and thrifty may at least have a package of sterile wipes and Panthenol.

What can you ask at the pharmacy?

There is no need to buy everything at once; to treat minor burns, sometimes one sterile bandage lightly moistened with an antiseptic and Panthenol is enough. In a healthy person, everything will heal without the use of additional funds. If there are no sterile bandages, you can iron a clean cloth with a hot iron.

How long will it take to heal?

Superficial 1st degree burn injuries heal without consequences in 3-4 days. A slight pigmentation may remain, which will also disappear over time.

Second degree burns with blisters will take longer to heal. The bubble gradually subsides, the liquid resolves. It may happen that the bubble bursts with the formation of erosion; this requires additional treatment with antibacterial ointments Levomekol (130 rub) or Voskopran bandage with levomekol ointment (5 x 75, cm 350 rub, 10x10 cm 1100 rub), Silvacin, Dioxyzol. The bandage needs to be changed every other day. Such a burn heals within 10-12 days, also without scar formation.

If, during the treatment, redness, swelling, pain increases, and purulent discharge from the wound appears, this is evidence of infection and a reason to consult a doctor.

What not to do and why

Folk remedies in treatment

There are many tips for treating burns with folk remedies. You shouldn’t trust them all recklessly. But some of them may be useful if the burn is received far from home and away from the first aid kit, or if a person likes to be treated with natural remedies without “any chemicals.”

Many plants are known to have antiseptic properties. The main principle here is “do no harm.” The safest folk remedies:

• Raw potato juice. Grate one medium potato, put the pulp in gauze and apply to the burned area for 10-15 minutes.
• Carrot lotion. Instead of potatoes, raw carrots are grated and used in the same way as in the previous recipe.
• Black or green tea Brew with boiling water, cool to room temperature, soak a napkin in the brew and apply to the burn.
• Calendula ointment. Brew 3 tablespoons of dry calendula with boiling water, let it brew for 15 minutes, strain. Mix the resulting infusion with Vaseline in a ratio of 1:2. Apply 2 times a day to the burned surface. Keep refrigerated.
• Dried linden flowers pour boiling water (1 tablespoon per glass of water). Leave for about an hour, strain. Apply 2-3 times a day until dry.
• Using the same principle, you can prepare a decoction from any herb or mixture of herbs that have an anti-inflammatory effect: chamomile, calendula, sage, string, plantain.

Treatment of burns largely depends on the degree of tissue damage. Domestic cases can most often be treated calmly at home, but more serious injuries will require only medical intervention. So, you got burned. How to treat and how to provide first aid before the doctors arrive, if the matter is serious?

Degree of damage

Thermal burns caused by exposure to high temperatures are the most common in everyday life. This can be boiling water, steam, hot objects - a heated iron, a just boiled kettle, etc. Children often suffer from such household injuries due to their activity or ignorance of safety precautions. It is for these reasons that any adult must be able to distinguish degrees in order to know how to act in any situation. In case of serious damage to the skin and soft tissue, medical attention will be required.

Important! Before you begin treatment or first aid, you need to find out in detail about what happened and make sure that the burn is thermal and not chemical.

There are four degrees of damage:

1. Significant redness appears at the burn site, the skin swells, and sometimes small blisters with liquid inside appear. The skin on the blisters should not be peeled off to avoid infection.
2. In addition to redness and swelling, large blisters appear, and they often burst on their own. Thin scabs are added to the listed signs.
3. Deep burn penetrating to soft tissue and bones. If there are bubbles, they are almost always already burst. Small blisters and redness may appear around the damaged area, as in the second and first degrees.
4. The most dangerous stage is when tissue charring occurs. It can be combined with other types of burns.

One person can have several burn injuries of varying degrees at once. In this case, the condition of the victim is assessed based on the deepest injuries and the area of ​​the burned area.

When medical help is needed

Burns above the second degree require inpatient treatment or hospitalization; they cannot be treated at home to avoid complications. It is also necessary to consult a doctor if pus appears, throbbing pain in the wound, swelling of the edges of the damaged area, or high fever. You should not self-medicate for burns that cover an area of ​​more than 1% (more than the palm of your hand) of the body. You should immediately consult a doctor if your hands, feet, eyes, face, or external genitalia are affected.

For burns above 2nd degree, you should seek help from a doctor.

Even if the injury does not seem serious, but during treatment at home it does not heal for a long time (especially in the legs), it festers or begins to smell unpleasant, you need to consult a surgeon. Burns of any degree and size in newborns will also require mandatory medical intervention.

If an emergency occurs outdoors, do not allow soil to get into the wound. Otherwise, you will need a tetanus shot the first time you go to the emergency room. If the damage is minor, treatment can be done at home.

What is important to know when providing first aid?

Regardless, it is necessary to provide first aid to the victim, then wait for doctors, or continue treatment at home. Here are the main steps:

• Knock out the flames from clothing as quickly as possible; to do this, just cover the victim with a thick cloth so that oxygen does not reach the fire. If possible, you can simply take off your burning clothes; this is convenient if, for example, a jacket or sweater catches fire. A small area can be extinguished with earth, snow or water.
• Do not panic; this is important both for the victim and for those around him.
• Remove any remaining tissue that is not stuck to the wound. If pieces of material remain, there is no need to tear them off.
• Do not touch the affected surface with your hands.
• If burns are caused by prolonged exposure to the sun, the first step is to move the victim to the shade.
• If a person was not injured in your presence, be sure to clarify the circumstances (boiling water spilled on yourself, clothes caught fire, etc.).
• The affected part of the body must be immersed in a basin of cold water for 15 minutes or kept under a running stream. This is important so that the wound does not grow deeper and wider due to the continued heating of the tissue. In addition, cooling helps restore blood flow.

First aid for burns should be provided very carefully

Important! Do not apply ice under any circumstances; this may aggravate the situation by adding frostbite to the burn.

• Apply an anti-burn agent to the injured area and apply a bandage. It should be dry and sterile; it is best to use a bandage or strips of fabric if you don’t have one at hand. Do not cover the wound with cotton so that its particles do not remain inside. If the injury is not serious and shows only redness of the skin, there is no need for a bandage.
• In case of extensive damage to the extremities, it is necessary to immobilize the arm or leg using a splint or suitable means. Make sure that the injured limb is above body level.
• If the victim begins to show signs of shock (pale skin, general weakness, panic, sweating, decreased blood pressure, shortness of breath or heart rate), give him plenty of fluids. It can be anything from water to tea, the main thing is to drink a lot. The liquid will reduce intoxication in the body; this situation often occurs due to the release of soft tissue breakdown products into the blood.
• You should not endure severe pain. To prevent painful shock, give the victim an analgesic.
• If the injury is serious, the person may lose consciousness. If at the same time he stops breathing, it is necessary to perform artificial respiration, combining it with chest compressions.

In critical situations, you don’t have to wait for an ambulance, but take the victim yourself to the hospital, or even better, to a specialized clinic. However, you still shouldn’t rely on luck and, if possible, call a doctor right away.

Treatment at home

Treatment of burns at home is possible only in the first or second degree, as well as in the case of a small area of ​​damage. All other cases require mandatory medical intervention. In other situations, in addition to anti-burn gels and ointments, you can use folk remedies (preferably after consultation with a doctor).

Tea

Using a strong tea decoction, you can speed up the healing process of sunburn. To do this, you need to apply a compress to reddened areas of the skin up to 8 times a day.

Starch is a very effective remedy; in order for it to help in treatment, you need to make an ointment out of it. This is done very simply, just dissolve a spoonful of powder in warm water and stir thoroughly. When the liquid has thickened enough, the mixture can be applied to red areas or blisters, this should be done 3 times a day.

Potato starch is used to treat burns

This remedy works well with hot steam. In this case, the oil is mixed with an onion (boiled) thoroughly crushed to a pulp. Moisten a bandage or bandage in the resulting mixture and apply it to the affected area. The dressing is changed every 10 hours.

Flaxseed oil is used for thermal burns

Important! If you have open wounds or burst blisters, this remedy is not suitable - onion juice can only worsen the situation.

Sea buckthorn oil

Sea buckthorn oil has many beneficial properties, including helping to speed up the healing process. To treat a wound, it is enough to make sea buckthorn compresses, soaking a bandage in oil.

It will help only in mild cases and only immediately after a burn. Potato wedges are applied to the burned area; they need to be changed every few minutes. Raw potatoes will help relieve pain and prevent blisters if taken promptly after injury.

Raw potatoes help immediately after a burn

Oatmeal jelly

If you mix oatmeal jelly with potato starch (100/20 ml), this mixture can be used for medicinal compresses. They should be applied for no more than 20 minutes every 3 hours.

Elder leaves

If the injury is caused by plant sap, you can use a milky decoction of elderberry leaves. When the leaves have cooled, they should be applied to the wound as a compress and kept for no more than 2 hours, then replaced with new ones. If the burn is caused by hogweed juice, you should immediately consult a doctor, as the consequences can be very serious.

Elderberry leaves have a beneficial effect on burns

Wax-based ointment

You can make an ointment for treatment at home. To do this, take butter and linseed oil (100 g and 20 ml), as well as 40 g of wax. All ingredients must be placed in a metal bowl or saucepan and placed on low heat. Wait for the wax and oil to melt and stir until smooth. Remove the ointment from the heat and wait until it cools down. After this, the product is ready for use - the ointment is applied to a gauze bandage and applied to the wound, changing periodically (3-4 times a day).