A cold burn is considered a serious injury and requires a special treatment approach. Often there is such a thing as frostbite, when the soft tissues of the body are damaged from strong exposure to cold. Unlike thermal burns, getting frostbite is associated with a prolonged effect of cold, but if you compare thermal burns and frostbite, the degree of injury has its similarities.
How can I get it
A cold burn is damage in which the main factor affecting the body is cold. You can get this kind of burn even if the temperature is not too low, for example, if the exposed skin is in contact with a metal object or liquids. A cold burn can be divided into the following types:
- If it occurs through direct or indirect contact.
- A local burn, when exactly that part of the body that was in direct contact with the cold suffers.
- General burn if the whole body is injured.
Most often, the hands become the affected area. Less likely to be affected by frostbite is the face or other parts of the body. It should be noted that the injury, which was obtained due to exposure to low temperatures, causes severe pain. A mild degree is not dangerous to human life, but if the burn is deep, then this leads to the destruction of the limbs.
Symptoms and types
Before considering the question of what to do with a cold burn, you need to become more familiar with the main symptoms and types. There are two main types:
- Shallow frostbite. With this type of frostbite, a person can feel an increase in body temperature and even feel chills. Particular attention should be paid to skin color: it can be bright red, and sometimes acquires a bluish tint. The skin becomes stained and sometimes swells. As a rule, all the symptoms can pass on their own after a while, for example, eight hours is enough for it to return to its usual color, but the affected area will be rough and peeling off after two weeks.
- Deep frostbite. In this case, bubbles form at the site of damage, which are filled with a white or colorless liquid. In no case is it recommended to burst these vesicles; you just need to consult a doctor who will prescribe an effective treatment. Deep frostbite is sometimes found in severe form, but this is only possible in industrial conditions, when a person works with liquid nitrogen.
In any case, you need to know how to give first aid in case of a cold burn, because sometimes it can save a person’s life.
Features of cold injury
Injury from the cold is a problem that does not occur so often, so treatment is sometimes non-standard and has a number of its own characteristics. The main feature of such an injury is that many different factors can affect it. The most common cause for a burn is a violation of the rules for working with liquid nitrogen, industrial gases, metal or ice. It should be noted that if the burn is severe, then it is unlikely to do without the help of a doctor.
Consequences of injury
How to treat a cold burn, everyone should know, because the consequences can be very diverse. Of course, if the burn was mild, then it can go away on its own without a trace, but if the form is severe, then the patient can face serious consequences that only a doctor can prevent:
- The main danger is that a large area of the skin can be damaged, and if not properly treated, the wound can begin to rot.
- In a sick person, the general condition is significantly impaired.
- Sensitivity is lost.
- Some parts of the skin die off.
- Gangrene develops.
It is important to remember that these burns are most difficult for young children, so deaths are common.
How to provide first aid
If a person gets a cold burn, it is necessary to carry out emergency measures as soon as possible. They are as follows:
- First of all, all wet or cold clothes should be removed from the victim, as well as all things that are in the area of damage. For example, you should not have watches, jewelry, or any other jewelry that may irritate the skin.
- If the defeat is of the first degree, then it is allowed to take a warm bath, but the water should be at room temperature, later you can slightly raise it to forty degrees.
- If the injury is serious, then you must definitely apply a bandage made of insulating material. At home, a cotton-gauze pad or woolen cloth is most often used.
- An affected person can be given warm tea, then the body will begin to warm from the inside.
After providing first aid, you will need to seek help from a doctor.
What can not be done with frostbite
It is important to consider that if a person received a cold burn, then it is necessary not only to give him first aid, but also not to aggravate the situation. Consider that it will not contribute to recovery, but, on the contrary, only worsen the patient’s condition:
- In no case should you give the patient to drink alcohol and use it to grind the sore spot. Alcohol is considered a good antiseptic, but in this case it will only worsen the situation.
- Damaged areas should not be rubbed, since there is a risk of damage to the capillaries, they are very thin, and under the influence of cold they become even brittle, this leads to their destruction.
- When warming a person, it is not recommended to immediately take a hot bath, a temperature drop will provoke necrosis.
- Do not rub damaged areas with oils and ointments.
If you adhere to the rules, you will be able to avoid negative aspects.
Therapy
With severe burns, there is a need to properly carry out the treatment, in this case, qualified medical help will be required. As a rule, if a person has a cold burn, treatment is as follows:
- The doctor will first prescribe regenerating drugs that can repair damaged tissue. Such drugs include Panthenol, Actovegin, and Olazol.
- The area that has been damaged should be constantly decontaminated. In this case, the doctor may prescribe a solution of "Furacilin" or "Miramistin."
- If the skin began to peel off, then the “Rescuer” balm is applied.
- Often the patient experiences severe pain, in which case the specialist prescribes Nurofen or Paracetamol.
- In case open wounds have formed, antibacterial medicines are actively prescribed.
Very rarely, with deep burns, surgical intervention is required, but nevertheless such cases occur if a person does not perceive such a burn as serious and treatment begins in the later stages, when complications have already begun to appear. It is worth remembering that the treatment for thermal burns and cold is completely different. For this reason, taking the same measures to eliminate the symptoms is not worth it. For example, blisters may not appear immediately if a person is burned on a cold surface. A thermal burn is characterized in that the severity is determined almost from the first minutes of damage.
Prevention
Injury may not be obtained if the following conditions are observed:
- Contact with cold surfaces should be minimized.
- Try to keep warm those parts of the body that are most susceptible to cold.
- Do not stay in the cold for a long time.
- Do not use ice packs.
- Work with hazardous substances only in protective clothing.
Remember that the choice of treatment will depend solely on the degree of damage and the characteristics of the body, but it is best if a negative effect on the body can still be avoided.