Inaccurate smoking or someone’s bad joke can cause a severe burn. From contact with skin, a temperature of about 500 degrees Celsius comes out, and therefore damage to the surface of the dermis of a person is inevitable. Despite the apparent insignificance of the problem, of course, you should immediately provide first aid to the victim, as well as prescribe the correct treatment.
Injury features
Non-observance of safety precautions or careless handling of a cigarette often leads to the fact that the skin is exposed to smoldering substances that burn during smoking. The severity of the burn gradually increases with the time of exposure to the dermis.
Doctors distinguish three features that should be paid attention to the victim at the very beginning.
- Affected area. Most often there is a spot burn from cigarettes on the hands. This option is the least dangerous, since it has a relatively small area and, as a rule, a short period of exposure to the dermis.
- The presence of tobacco on the wound. On burning a cigarette, ash forms, which can settle in combination with tarry substances and cigarette paper on the skin. If tobacco crumbs remain in the open area of the wound, they must be carefully removed.
- Due to pollution and the small radius of the wound, even professionals often find it difficult to determine the degree of burn. Therefore, do not neglect medical care even if the damage done seems minimal.
Possible burn hazard
When burning the skin, destruction of the skin compounds, including lipids, keratins and fibrillar protein, is also inevitable. Complete denaturation of protein components, for example, occurs already at a temperature of about 90-100 degrees Celsius, which is about five times less than that of a burn from a cigarette. This means that due to such excessive exposure to heat, not only the upper stratum corneum of the dermis is destroyed, but also the basal or sprout.
In soft tissues, in turn, due to the above phenomenon, harmful resins often penetrate. The contaminated wound itself is considered a very suitable medium for the reproduction of various bacterial organisms, the occurrence of abscesses or purulent accumulations. For these reasons, do not underestimate the danger of such an injury.
Damage assessment
It is performed by a qualified doctor, after which he selects the most suitable treatment for the speedy healing and pain relief. Cigarette burns can cause swelling in the wound area, peeling of burnt tissue, and external redness of the upper layers of the skin. Symptoms, including the strength of pain, generally depend on the depth of the damage. It is worth noting that more than 96% of cases of such burns are superficial, that is, relatively safe.
However, it is not so difficult to get deeper damage. Smoking is often combined with drinking alcohol. When intoxicated, the pain threshold rises to some extent, that is, a person is able to withstand more damage, without paying attention to the source of their application. In this case, the smoldering cigarette may remain on the arm of the distracted or asleep patient. Due to such a long exposure, damage to the deeper layers of the skin can be caused, and the burn sometimes reaches the hypodermis.
Burn severity
A quick glance can determine how severely damaged various layers of the skin. The severity has a decisive influence on what to do with a cigarette burn.
- First degree. Only the epidermis is destroyed without affecting the deep layers. The pain is moderate, and the skin in the area is slightly swollen and reddened. Only 2-3 days are enough for the injured layer to peel off and be replaced without leaving any scars on the burn site.
- Second degree. It is caused by longer contact and leads to damage to the deep layers of the epidermis. Severe swelling appears, a more pronounced reddish tint and pain, and yellowish blisters with a purple spot inside form.
- Third degree. In this situation, cigarette burns reach the deeper layers of the dermis. At grade 3a, the endocrine glands and hair follicles are not affected, the wounds heal over time, but leave scars. In the worst case, even the basal layer is charred, where the process of regeneration of the skin occurs. Their color becomes whitish or pinkish. Since the receptors are destroyed, the victim will not feel much pain, but after healing of burns of degree 3b, very noticeable scars will remain.
- Fourth degree. It is virtually impossible to get such a burn with cigarette decay. In this case, the epidermis, dermis, fat layer, muscles and bones are charred.
First aid
In order to avoid getting into the wound of infection or the occurrence of subsequent complications, it is necessary to correctly provide first aid to the victim. The procedure is described in 4 main steps.
- Washing the wound. Remove clothing from the damaged area, place under running water for 15 minutes. Otherwise, at least cool with ice, cold compress or hypothermic package. Thus, the wound will cease to deepen.
- Apply an antiseptic solution. If ash enters, rinse the area with furatsilinom or hydrogen peroxide. Also, in extreme cases, a weak potassium permanganate concentrate or a chlorhexidine solution of 0.5% is suitable.
- Apply burns. It is done after the antiseptic solution has dried. It is applied to the reddened area around. Suitable spray or ointment type "Liviana", "Vinisol" or "Panthenol".
- Apply a bandage dressing. It is necessary when blisters have appeared around the wound. The dressing should be sterile, and an antiseptic ointment such as Miramistin, Betadine, or Boro Plus is pre-applied under it.
Cigarette burns lips
This area is susceptible to heat due to very close contact with the tobacco product. Help depends on the degree of burn. For example, in case of minor damage, the lip is gently washed with cold water, and then you can periodically apply the decoction of the medicinal chamomile, as well as use healing ointments.
With a more serious second-degree burn, the treatment remains approximately the same. However, in this case, you should refuse to overlay applications. Nevertheless, do not neglect a visit to a specialist, because sometimes the bladder must be opened surgically. If pus is released from the wound, there is deep erosion and carbonization of the tissues, then you should not even think about how to remove cigarette burns yourself. With the third degree, only a qualified doctor can help.
Actions for a throat burn
In fact, a difficult to imagine scenario for smoking. However, there are still cases of receiving thermal burns of the throat with cigarettes. First of all, for treatment it is required to drink cool sips in small sips, which should in no case be icy. Next, rinse the oral cavity with an anesthetic, for example, a solution of lidocaine or novocaine 0.25%.
Thanks to these actions, further spread will be suspended, the swelling will be relieved and the painful symptoms will go away. It is necessary to pay attention to the symptoms in the first 48 hours after the start of treatment. Usually, during this period, therapy gives a positive effect. If this does not happen, then you must urgently go to the hospital.
Healing prognosis
It is known that the speed of recovery and regeneration will directly depend on the severity of the burn. Most often, the process takes from two to three weeks. It is best to avoid sun exposure to the wound during this period, otherwise a noticeable scar may remain. Capsular vitamin E and aloe vera will also help prevent scarring.
Many still remember in school days what a burn from a cigarette on a hand means. However, it is worth noting that this is far from the best way to show your character, and certainly not the most reasonable.