Burns are a fact of life. Every day, the kitchen produces millions of them; the car muffler, the clothes iron, the curling iron, hoursehold chemicals. Because burns are inevitable, it only makes sense to be well-prepaired for them. Let’s get started:
Hot Needs To be Matched with Cold
The most important thing to do immediately after a burn is to cool off the flesh. Just as a heating register remains warm for awhile after the furnace shuts off, the damage to your skin will continue unless you stop the burning. Run cold tap water over the burn site for 15 to 30 minutes. If you want to use ice to cool off the burn, put the ice in a plastic bag first so your burn doesn’t come in direct painful contact with the ice.
By Degrees
Next, inspect the burn to determine how bad it is. With first degree burns, the skin is red and painful, but no blisters appear. Second degree burns blister the skin. Both first and second degree burns are easily treated at home, as long as they are smaller than a silver dollar on adults or a quarter on small children. Burns on infants and elderly people should always be looked at by a doctor.
Third degree burns are the most serious, because the skin turns white, black, or angry red, and the damage goes much deeper than the top layer of skin, seek medical help immediately. For first and second degree burns, cool and clean the burn, and then cover it with a gauze bandage for the first 24 yours. After a day, clean the burn again and disinfect it with a Beta dine solution or antibiotic ointment. Keep the burn covered and clean until it heals.
Soothing Aloe Vera
Many people get relief from burns by rubbing a fresh piece of aloe vera plant on their burn. Aloe contains an enzyme which neutralizes the substances in skin tissue that are responsible for pain and swelling. Once your burn starts to heal, you can speed up the healing process by breaking open a vitamin E capsule and rubbing it on your burn. Some people rub preparation H hemorrhoid cream on the burn with faster healing results.
Butter is a No-No
Stay away from the age old trick of covering burns with pats of butter, or smothering it in vinegar or honey. Food products tend to hold the heat in, making the burn worse.
When Vinegar Does Work
Vinegar is good for one kind of burn, however, if your hands are on fire after cutting up hot peppers, soak them for a few minutes in vinegar for fast relief.
Oatmeal For Sunburn For serious sunburns, take an oatmeal bath. You can buy oatmeal bath at your local pharmacy-don’t just use the stuff off your pantry shelf. Cooking oatmeal is too large to really be effective.
Eye Burns Finally, if you accidently splash a souse hold cleaner or other chemical in your eye, immediately put your head-affected eye down-in the sink and run water over your eye ball for several minutes. Then get to a doctor-fast! |
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