In everyday life, a variety of unforeseen situations may occur. That is why in this article I want to talk about what helps from burns, and how to cope with their consequences. After all, such skin lesions are not uncommon.
Terminology
Initially, you need to understand what a burn itself is (in medical terms - hyperthermia). So, this is damage to the tissues of the human body with a temperature that exceeds 55 ° C, as well as electric shock, chemicals or ionizing radiation. You can get it even if you do not handle the iron properly (its steam also causes a burn on the skin) or if you behave inaccurately in the kitchen (for example, with hot oil).
Main rule
So what helps with burns? How can you help yourself immediately after a skin lesion? Experts say that if more than three hours have not passed after the burn, you need to hold the affected area for 20 minutes under running cool water. Its temperature should fluctuate in the range from +5 to +30 ° . However, the ideal option for cooling the burn is + 15 ° C. If there is no running water, it is necessary to fill the bowl or vessel with water and immerse the damaged limb or body area there. This must be done necessarily and during just such a time. Why and why? This is the only way to cool not only the surface of the burn, but also prevent its spread to healthy nearby tissues. If you simply blow into the wound or apply something cold, deeper skin will not cool. In addition, this action, according to experts, has a beneficial effect on the state of the walls of vessels adjacent to the affected area . So, after this, tissue edema will be significantly less, wound healing will accelerate, and the scar at the site of damage to the skin will not be so strong.
Other useful actions
What else helps with burns? So, there is a special list of actions that you need to perform immediately the field of injury or within the first three hours.
- As already mentioned above, the burn site must be cooled down (for about 20 minutes).
- If a person is cold, he can be covered. However, you can not warm the site of tissue damage.
- The place of the burn should be kept as often as possible above the level of the heart (for example, if a leg or arm is affected, it should be periodically kept in a raised state for a couple of days).
- If tissue adheres to the burn site, it cannot be torn off. This must be done by the doctor. However, clothing must be removed; if necessary, trimmed.
- If the baby's back, arms or legs are burned , the child should not be kept under running water. After all, children very quickly lose heat, and they may experience hypothermia. In this case, it is necessary to apply cooling compresses in the affected area. All other parts of the body of the crumbs should be covered, warmed.
- It is strictly forbidden to apply ice to the burn area. After all, this leads to a narrowing of blood vessels, a deterioration in blood flow and improper blood supply to affected tissues.
- If there are any decorations in the burn area (for example, a ring on a finger), it must be removed immediately. Indeed, edema, which will develop over time, can bring not only pain, but also harm to the body.
Different types of burns: first aid
There are various types of burns that must be dealt with in different ways.
If a person has burns from boiling water (the most common), you need to follow all the above recommendations. So, it is necessary to cool the skin lesion site, then it will be necessary to apply a sterile, not tight bandage. It is important to remember that the burn site must be carefully freed from excess clothing or jewelry.
If the patient has a burn with acid, immediately the skin should also be washed and cooled under running water. The time is the same - about 20 minutes. It is also important to remove all acid-soaked clothing to prevent the spread of the problem. After washing, the remaining acid must be removed with a neutralizing agent (water will not cope with this).
Consider what should be the first aid for an electric burn. First of all, it is necessary to stop the effect of current on the body of the victim. Next, an antiseptic dressing should be applied to the site of the lesion and a sedative, analgesic and cardiac drug should be given. It is important to remember that after such a burn, symptoms can occur for about three hours (up to a heart attack), so such a patient should be immediately sent to a medical facility.
Treatment: dressings
What helps with burns? How to deal with their consequences more quickly? It is necessary to use special dressings that are applied immediately after cooling the lesion site. They change as necessary (mainly every two days). And since dressings most often contain silver, hydrogel, etc., they significantly shorten the patient’s healing process.
If you could not find such a dressing in the pharmacy, you can moisten the gauze with paraffin (it is important that the dressing does not stick) and apply it to the burn site.
The use of ointments and creams
If you ask grandmothers how to recover from a burn at home, they will definitely say that the affected area should be greased with vegetable oil, beaten eggs or cream. However, doctors do not recommend this. After all, if you apply such funds immediately after receiving an injury, the healing process will be longer. In addition, the risk of scar formation remains, which will remain on the skin for life.
With regard to ointments, gels, or other agents based on antibiotics, this is the case. If earlier these tools were widely used, then modern research insists that this is not necessary. After all, the wound healing process will be longer.
A few words about the blisters
Very often a blister from a burn occurs on the skin of the victim (if it is a burn of the second and further degrees). So, you need to understand for yourself that punching, tearing and in any way violating its integrity is impossible. After all, a blister occurs in order to naturally protect the burn site from infection by various microorganisms. This formation will not last on the skin for a long time and will open itself after about a couple of days.
What to do next?
How to get rid of a burn at home? This can be done quite simply. Once every two days it will be necessary to change the bandage, while examining the site of the lesion. It should also be remembered that this area on the skin does not need to be lubricated, it is impossible to burn with iodine or alcohol-containing drugs. So soon the healing process will pass and complete recovery will come. If the burn did not heal within a couple of weeks, you should definitely seek help from a doctor.
Wound infection
If burns from boiling water or another source are treated incorrectly or insufficiently, an infection can get into the wound. The following symptoms will indicate this:
- The wound site that forms after the burn begins to fester.
- The fluid in the blister is not light, but cloudy, acquires a brownish-yellow hue.
- The wound becomes hot, painful, swelling or redness appears.
- Body temperature rises.
In such cases, you must definitely seek medical help.
When else do I need to see a doctor
In most cases, help with a thermal burn can be provided at home, there is no need to go to a medical facility. However, you need to visit a doctor in the following cases:
- If the burn area takes place, the size is larger than the palm of the victim.
- If the face is affected, the genital area.
- If a very deep wound has formed at the site of the lesion.
- If the victim feels bad.
If the child suffered from a burn, you should seek medical help immediately (after first aid).