How To Treat A Burn At Home?
A household burn is a common, very unpleasant and painful injury. An overturned cup of tea, an unsuccessfully touched hot iron - there are enough ways to get thermal damage in everyday life. Fortunately, the severity of such a burn often does not exceed the first degree. However, to provide yourself with first aid and somehow relieve the pain is required immediately. What is the best remedy for burns?
How to determine the degree of a burn?
1. 1st degree burn: Damage to the upper layers of the epidermis, in which there is redness and slight swelling, the pain is tolerable.
2. 2nd degree burn: The deeper layers of the skin are damaged: bubbles form, redness and inflammation are quite strong, acute pain.
3. 3rd degree burn: Tissues are damaged up to the muscles, and sometimes deeper. The vesicles are large enough and filled with a yellowish liquid, scabs appear, the pain is difficult to bear.
The use of home remedies without calling a doctor is only permissible for first-degree burns! In other cases, you need to get medical help: call an ambulance or immediately go to the emergency room.
First aid for burns
First aid to victims of burns should be provided immediately, already at the scene. First, it is necessary to stop the action of the thermal agent and, if possible, remove all materials in contact with the burnt surface (clothes, shoes, jewelry).
No manipulations on burn wounds are carried out. It is impossible to pierce and remove bubbles, separate adhering objects (clothes, bitumen, splashes of metal, plastic). Adhering clothing should not be torn off the burnt surface, it is better to cut it off around the wound.
It is necessary to cool the burnt surface with running water no later than 10-15 minutes after the injury. This reduces the time for tissue overheating, preventing the burn from deepening. Cooling reduces swelling and relieves pain, has a beneficial effect on the further healing of burn wounds.
The victim with a burn should be given painkillers (for example, a tablet of analgin, pentalgin or ketanal) and antihistamines (for example, a tablet of suprastin, tavegil or claritin), and in the absence of vomiting, especially with extensive burns, drink. As an “anti-shock therapy”, before the ambulance arrives, it is best to drink mineral water without gas or water with soda and salt dissolved in it (1 tsp of salt and 0.5 tsp of soda for 1 liter of water) in amount of 1-1.5 liters per hour.
When can you treat a burn at home?
If there is no suspicion of a third degree burn, the burn area is no more than 5% of the body surface and the head area and genitals are not affected - in this case, burn treatment can be started at home. However, only a specialist can accurately determine the degree and depth of tissue damage.
Remedies for treating 1st and 2nd degree burns at home:
- Ointments (not fat-soluble) - "Levomekol", "Panthenol", balm "Rescuer"
- Cold compresses
- Dry cloth dressing
- Demazin
- Antihistamines - Suprastin, Tavegil or Claritin
- Aloe vera
Tools that cannot be used:
- Oil
- Honey
- Propolis
- Ice
- Toothpaste
- Chemical substances
How to prevent scarring after a burn?
Each person has an individual predisposition to the appearance of scars. However, the timely use of anti-scar gels and ointments, as well as special silicone wound dressings and moisturizers, will help prevent the appearance of scars and scars. Currently, doctors are still looking for ways to finally rid humanity of this problem.
How to get rid of scars and scars after a burn at home
If scars and scars still appear after a burn, you should not self-medicate with the help of folk remedies. Doctors recommend using anti-scar gels and ointments, which are sold in pharmacies, modern wound, mesh, hyaluronic, biological silicone coatings. For a more targeted fight against scars and scars, you should consult with a specialist.
Conclusion
No one is safe from burns. Their treatment is a rather unpleasant and lengthy process. Therefore, be careful with open flames, electrical and hot objects, as well as chemicals! Control your exposure to the sun, and most importantly, take care of your children. The smaller the child, the greater the area of burn wounds, their depth, the more difficult the process of burn disease is.
Unfortunately, medical advice from the Internet is not always coordinated with a specialist. Therefore, no one canceled the consultation of a doctor. Why you should not always trust medical forums and how to get information about health from a specialist without queues in clinics online.
