Burn Care - First Aid for Burns

Burns can be caused by fire and heat, sunlight, radiation, chemicals, or electricity. In order to provide adequate first aid for burns, one needs to first be able to distinguish between a minor burn and a serious burn. Burns are classified into 3 degrees, according to their severity:

First-Degree Burns: These skin burns are a little swollen, and are painful and red. When the skin on the affected area is pressed, it turns white. This skin peels off in a day or two.

Second-Degree Burns: This type of skin burn is thicker, very painful, and results in blister formation. The affected skin becomes very blotchy or red, and there may be a considerable amount of swelling.

Third-Degree Burns: This type of burn is the most serious and affects all the layers of the skin, and hence is painless because damage is caused to the nerves in the skin. It results in causing permanent damage to the tissue. Muscle, fat, and even the bone could be affected. The affected area could appear white and dry or charred black.

First Aid for Burns

If the skin burn is minor, which includes first-degree and second-degree burns, which are not larger than 7.5 centimeters, or 3 inches, in diameter, the following burn care methods can be carried out:

• First of all, the burn needs to be cooled. The burned area should be held under running cold water for about 5 minutes, or until there is a lessening of the pain. Or, the area can be immersed in cold water or it can be cooled by using cold compresses on it. When the burn is cooled, it helps in reducing the swelling, with heat being conducted away from the affected area of the skin. However, ice should not be used to cool a burn.
• After the affected area is cooled, a sterilized gauze bandage should be used to cover the area. In order to prevent pressure being put on the burned skin, the gauze should be wrapped loosely. Using a gauze bandage helps in keeping air away from the affected area, reduces the pain, while also assists in protecting blistered skin.
• Take an over-the-counter pain relieving medication such as ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, or naproxen. However, aspirin should not be given to teenagers or children.

Burns that are minor generally heal without requiring any other treatment. While healing there may be changes in the pigment, which means that the skin of the area, after healing, may be darker in color compared to the surrounding skin. Signs of the affected area becoming infected should be watched out for, such as oozing, swelling, fever, redness, or an increase in the pain. If the area does get infected, medical help should be resorted to. If the burn is less than one year old, you need to avoid tanning or re-injuring the skin. Sunscreen needs to be used for about a year.

Here are some precautions:

• Do not apply ice on the burned skin, because this can lead to frostbite, thus damaging the skin even further.
• Do not apply ointments or butter on the burned area, because this may hamper proper healing.
• Blisters should not be broken, as they can become susceptible to infection.

How to Treat Major Burns

In case of third-degree burns, emergency medical assistance should be called immediately, and while they arrive, the following steps can be carried out:

• Burnt clothing should not be removed, however, you can make sure that the victim is not in contact with burning materials or exposed to heat or smoke.
• Severe, large burns should not be immersed in cold water, because this can result in the victim going into shock.
• Check whether there are signs of movement, coughing, or breathing. In case these signs are not there, CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be started.
• The burned parts of the body should be elevated above the heart level, if possible.
• The burned area can be covered by using a moist, cool, sterilized bandage, or cloth, or towels.