A burn is one of the most common injuries in everyday life. Moreover, the consequences of such tissue damage can be serious. First aid for a burn with boiling water will help reduce the negative effects of an injury. Everyone should know how to render it. The main recommendations will be discussed in detail below.
general description
One of the most common types of household injuries is a burn with boiling water. First aid at home can reduce pain, and also prevent the development of serious complications. A burn with boiling water belongs to the category of thermal injuries. It can be obtained by contact with heated water or steam.
Most often, such burns heal quickly, causing only short-term disability. However, the healing rate and the consequences of such an injury depend on a number of factors. The depth of the lesion and its volume may be different.
The severity of the effects of a burn depends on the temperature of the liquid. Its composition is also important. A burn from clean water is faster and easier than from a brine, compote or syrup. The consequences of the injury will depend on the amount of hot fluid that has entered the skin or mucous membranes. Take into account with what pressure and speed boiling water spilled onto the fabric. The time of such exposure also largely determines the severity of the consequences.
An important factor is the fact that in different parts of the skin the burn has a greater or lesser intensity. So, for example, most often boiling water falls into your hands. The skin here is a little thicker than on the face, neck. Therefore, the healing process will be faster. If hot water gets on thin skin, the lesion will be deeper. Heals such a burn for a long time.
The fastest burns occur on the legs. They are usually less intense here. The longer a person has been in contact with a hot liquid, and also the higher its temperature, the more procedures will be required in the process of first aid for a burn with boiling water.
Degree of burn
It is worth noting that, according to statistics, 85% of household burns with boiling water do not have serious consequences. However, in children this injury can be dangerous. Their skin is very thin, so boiling water can damage not only superficial, but also deep layers of tissues. Also, the extent of the lesion in babies is higher than in adults. Therefore, first aid for burns with boiling water in children is usually more intense.
There are 4 stages of a burn. Depending on the volume and depth of the lesion, the characteristics of the provision of first-aid first aid depend.
With a first-degree burn, you do not need to see a doctor. Upon contact with hot water, redness of the upper layer of the skin is observed. A slight swelling and burning sensation may appear. Such a burn passes literally in a few days.
With a second degree of burn, the damage is deeper. The effect of temperature affects not only the surface layers, but also the tissue under them. In this case, the pain will be higher than with the first degree of burn. Blisters appear on the skin. They are filled with a clear liquid. The skin heals in 2 weeks. You can not go to the doctor if the infection does not develop during the healing process. Scars do not remain on the tissues.
The third degree of burns affects the deep layers of tissues. It can be of two types. Category "A" is characterized by the appearance of blisters and scabs. Tissue repair occurs by dividing surviving cells.
Grade “B” is characterized by tissue necrosis. Purulent inflammatory processes often join this. The result is a wound from which fluid is released. After healing, scars remain.
In the fourth degree, the lesion is very deep. It affects all tissues, bones and joints. In this case, the damage is extensive or deep. The tissue is dead. It is impossible to restore them. In this case, an operation to remove all dead tissue is required.
Damage scale
How to provide first aid for a burn of boiling water? First determine the degree of burn. Further actions depend on it. However, the extent of the lesion is also important to evaluate before the procedure. So, even with a first-degree burn, you need to see a doctor if the lesion occupies 30% of the body surface. In this case, there is a danger to the patient's life.
A threat to life is a third or fourth degree burn, which occupies more than 10% of the surface of the body. In such cases, you must definitely call an ambulance. While doctors are on the way, first aid is provided for the victim with burns of boiling water at home.
If the tissue lesion is not deep (first or second degree), and the lesion area is negligible, you can not go to the hospital. However, if the damaged areas do not heal within a few days or there are characteristic signs of infection, be sure to visit a doctor. The infection can spread very quickly. The sooner the correct treatment is prescribed, the easier the recovery process will be.
There are several simple techniques that allow you to estimate the area of surface damage with boiling water. Doctors are actively applying 2 approaches. The first of these is called the Wallace method (rule of nine). According to this approach, the area of body parts is 9% (arm, head) or 18% (leg, front, back of the body). Inguinal region - 1%.
The second approach is called the Glumov method (palm rule). In this case, the surface of one palm is 1% of the total size of the skin of a person. Therefore, palms measure the damaged area.
First aid
First aid for a burn with boiling water should be carried out promptly. The faster the exposure to hot liquid or steam on the skin is stopped, the easier the injury. Children and adults after pouring boiling water on them, are at a loss. Many start to panic. This cannot be done.
To remove hot fluid, you need to quickly remove wet clothing from the victim. You also need to quickly remove the rings, bracelets and other accessories, materials that were on the skin.
Hot water or other liquid is washed off under cold water. The damaged area must be kept under running for some time. Cold water will allow to cool overheated fabrics. If this is not done, they maintain a high temperature for a long time after exposure to boiling water or steam. This greatly exacerbates the severity of the effects of the injury.
You can make a bath of cold water or substitute a damaged area under the stream. The second option is preferable, as it is faster. While water will be collected in the tank, some time will pass. Delays in this matter are not permissible. At least half an hour, the damaged area should be exposed to cold water. If the patient again has a burning sensation, you need to continue the procedure. Water should be not just cold, but icy.
Actions for light damage
First aid at home with a burn of boiling water can be different. It depends on the degree of burn. For mild tissue damage, you can apply the dressing yourself. The skin of the victim should be clean. An antiseptic ointment, for example, Levomekol, is applied to the damaged area. Instead, you can use a tool such as Bepanten or other similar composition. It includes panthenol, which helps to heal burns.
The composition applied to the skin is covered with dressings. For this, a clean cotton cloth is suitable. Bandage and cotton wool can stick to the wound. Dressing will cause suffering. Therefore, only hard materials that have a dense structure should be used. Vata can also injure the skin when dressing. Therefore, such materials should be put aside. The dressing is changed every three days. When the skin is tightened, this procedure is no longer carried out.
You may need to perform other steps in first aid for a burn with boiling water. Blisters with watery contents indicate a more serious injury. This is a second degree burn. In this case, the doctor should apply an antiseptic dressing. He will also carry out primary treatment of the damaged area of the skin. After two days, you can carry out the dressing yourself. In this case, follow the doctor's recommendations.
First aid for a significant burn
First aid for burns with boiling water at home should be provided taking into account the characteristics of the injury. If damage has appeared on the face, do not apply a bandage. Here you need to apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly. Apply a bandage only on the limbs or on the trunk.
If you receive a burn of the third or fourth degree, the treatment is carried out by a doctor. The victim needs to hold the damaged area under cold water. However, the bandage in this case is not imposed. This will be done by the surgeon after special treatment.
Prior to the arrival of an ambulance, it is advisable for the victim to have anesthetic injection. It is administered intramuscularly. Tablets ("Analgin", "Tempalgin" and others) are ineffective. This is due to the slow process of absorption of the substance, as well as the characteristics of the damage. For injection, "Analgin" or other similar substances are most often used. More effective painkillers are led by an ambulance doctor.
Other first aid measures for a burn with boiling water of the third or fourth degree are not used. While an ambulance travels to the victim, you need to drink tea. Now you need a plentiful drink. This requires plain water or with the addition of lemon juice. Herbal or green tea is also suitable.
What can not be done?
It is extremely responsible that you need to approach the procedure for providing first aid for a burn with boiling water. Folk remedies are used only after the correct treatment of the damaged area. It is forbidden to apply any ointment or other agent to the burn site immediately, without having to carry out the surface treatment with cold water.
If boiling water has left blisters on the skin, they should never be punctured. Because of this, an infection can get into the wound. In this case, the treatment will be very long, difficult. At the same time, the risk to the life and health of the victim increases significantly.
In no case should alcohol be used in the treatment of burns. These include brilliant green, iodine, any tinctures of medicinal plants. It is also forbidden to use toothpaste, vinegar, urine and other compounds that cause irritation to the skin to treat the damaged surface. This will significantly aggravate the condition of the skin.
Some recipes of traditional medicine suggest using sea buckthorn oil for healing the burn site. This is a truly effective remedy. However, it can not be used in first aid. Oil will create a film on the surface of the skin, close its pores. This will not allow the skin to breathe. Therefore, oils are used only some time after receiving an injury, when the skin begins to regenerate.
If the damaged area is covered with a cloth that cannot be removed (the material has stuck to the wound), it is carefully cut with scissors. It is impossible to tear off such a section of clothing. After that, rinse with clean water. You can not use a solution of soda, kefir, water with lemon juice, etc. for this purpose. This will cause irritation, significantly reducing the healing rate. The use of dairy products increases the risk of infection of affected tissues.
Features of first aid to children
First aid at home with a burn of boiling water for children and adults is somewhat different. Even if the baby received damage at first glance superficial, you need to see a doctor. Kids are more sensitive to pain. Their skin is very thin. Therefore, treatment should be carried out by a specialist.
With a burn of boiling water, even the first degree, the child receives tremendous stress. Therefore, it is necessary to show maximum sympathy and support both in first aid and in the treatment process. Adults should not panic. All your actions and manipulations of the doctor need to be explained to the baby.
If something is cooking on the stove, you must not leave the kitchen. It is important to keep track of where the child is at this time. If boiling water is poured on an adult, most likely everything will cost a burn of the first or second degree. For a child, this can be a serious injury that will leave scars on the skin for life.
Folk recipes
Having provided first aid for a burn with boiling water, then the victim can be treated at home if this is damage to the first or second degree. Folk remedies can be used at least a day after receiving the injury. Sea buckthorn oil is often used for this. It promotes rapid healing. In this case, scars do not form on the skin.
Aloe is also well suited for these purposes. One shoot is cut, cut along. The halves are internally applied to the wound and covered with gauze. After an hour, the plant is harvested.
Some recommendations
Having correctly provided first aid for a burn with boiling water, you can significantly speed up the healing process of damaged tissues. During this period, you can not sunbathe and sweat. If a first degree burn was received, sunbathing is not recommended for at least a month. You can’t walk at noon. This is best done in the morning or evening. Also, do not swim in different reservoirs. Only when the skin is restored, you can perform the usual actions.
Having considered the features and methods of first aid for a burn with boiling water, you can minimize the negative effect of temperature on tissues, reducing pain. Healing will occur quickly.