Burns: First Aid

By Matt Unangst, 30 Jan 20:13

We've all suffered the incredible pain a burn can bring. There are steps you can take to make the experience of being burnt a less miserable one.

Many people will tell you that the first thing to do after suffering a burn is to apply cold water to the burn in order to reduce the pain you are suffering and prevent further damage to your skin. This is good advice for minor burns, but some burns can actually be made worse by treatment with cold water. Thus, the first thing you should do after suffering a burn is to determine its severity.

Burns are classified into three categories: first, second, and third degree. A burn’s classification is determined by the extent of the damage to body tissues suffered. A burn where only the outer layer of skin has been damaged is classified as a first-degree burn. The burn is usually red and may be swollen or painful. Unless your first-degree burn is on your face, hands, feet, groin, buttocks, or a major joint, it should be treated with the classic cold water treatment. If feasible, hold the burned area under running cold water for at least five minutes or until the pain subsides. If unable to run cold water over the burn, place it in a bucket of cold water or use a cold compress. Cooling the burn conducts heat away from the skin, but don’t put ice directly on a burn, as it can make the burn worse by causing frostbite. Butter and other ointments can also increase the damage to your skin from a burn by preventing it from healing properly.

After cooling a burn, cover it with a gauze bandage. Don’t push the bandage down over the burn; let the burn breathe. Bandaging your burn will keep air off of it, reducing pain and preventing infection. Make sure that the bandage you use is gauze, since fluffy cotton can irritate burns. Take an over-the-counter pain medication to help with the pain from the burn. Any OTC pain medication will do, but don’t give aspirin to teenagers or children.

First degree burns will normally heal without any further treatment. Keep an eye on the burn to ensure that it stays free of infection. Signs of infection to look out for include redness, fever, swelling, oozing, and increased pain. Any infection should be checked out by a doctor. Do not break any blisters that may form over your burn. Blisters are skin barriers against infection.

A first-degree burn may heal with pigmentation changes to your skin. Do not follow any urges you may have to tan the discolored skin to restore it to a color similar to the surrounding skin. Skin that has been burned should not be tanned or re-injured in any way, since re-injuring the burn can increase the damage caused. Use sunscreen on the burn for at least one year after you suffer it.

A burn counts as second degree when the first layer of skin has been completely burned through and the second layer has been damaged. Second-degree burns cause the skin to blister and become red and splotchy. They are extremely painful and will swell. A small (less than three inches in diameter) second-degree burn that is not on the face, hands, feet, groin, buttocks, or major joint should be treated the same way as a first-degree burn.

A larger second-degree burn or a second-degree burn on any of the listed parts of the body should be treated seriously. You should immediately seek medical attention by calling 911. There are some things you should remember while waiting for medical personnel to arrive and assist you:
1) Get away from any smoke or heat
2) Do not remove burnt clothing
3) Do not immerse your burn in cold water – immersing a severe burn in cold water can cause your body to go into shock
4) Elevate the burned area to a level above that of your heart
5) Cover the burn with a cool, moist, sterile bandage; moist and sterile cloth; or moist towels

If someone else has suffered a severe burn, check them for signs of circulation, i.e. check his/her breathing and pulse.

Although painless, third-degree burns can be extremely serious. All layers of skin are burnt through and bodily tissues such as fat, muscle, and bone may be permanently damaged. A third-degree burn will often appear to be either black or dry and white. Smoke inhalation can cause the effects of the burn to become even worse, possibly resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning or other toxic effects. Third-degree burns should be treated as an urgent medical situation and all of the steps outlined above should be followed.

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Tags: burns, first aid, first-degree, second-degree, third-degree, gauze, 911, cold compress, blister, frostbite