Burns
What is a burn?
Symptoms of burns
Prevention / remedies / cures / treatment for burns
References
What is a burn?
A burn is an injury to skin or other tissues caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, electric current or radiation (like sunburn from ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are caused by hot liquids (called scalding), touching hot items, or fire. In the home, most burns occur in the kitchen from hot appliances, pots, steam and hot liquids. In the workplace, fire and chemical and electric burns are most common.
Symptoms of burns
- First degree. Mild pain, red skin, no blisters, injury only on the outer skin (epidermis). Pain lasts for up to three days, and it heals in less than a week.
- Second degree. The injury extends into some of the underlying skin (through the epidermis and down to the papillary dermis). Pain, blisters, clear fluid, swelling. Healing can take up to eight weeks and scarring can occur.
- Third degree. Severe burn that occurs through all layers of the skin down to reticular dermis. There is nerve damage and less sensation or pain. There may be a fixed red colouring or a white appearance. Healing typically does not occur on its own. (1)
- Fourth degree. Severe burn, right through skin and down to underlying muscle, tissue and bone. Charred or leathery, burned blood vessels, no feeling. The burn is often black and frequently leads to loss of the burned part.
Third and fourth degree burns need emergency medical help, especially for children and the elderly. With severe burns there is also a risk of shock and dehydration.
- Emotional and psychological distress. (4)
- Numbness or tingling may persist for a prolonged period after an electrical injury. (3)
- Itchiness is common as burns heal, occurring in up to 90% of adults and nearly all children. (2)
Prevention / remedies / cures / treatment for burns
The essential immediate treatment for a burn is cold running water. Run to that cold tap, every second makes a difference. The burned area retains heat and will further injure until it cools. Use a cool shower or a tap. Hold it under cool or cold (not iced) water for at least 10 minutes. This cools it down and stops further burning and damage, and then constricts the blood vessels.
Cool the burn BEFORE removing any clothing. The sooner you begin cooling the burn the better. Hold the clothed arm, leg or body part under the cool shower or running water. Removing the clothing before cooling can risk tearing away skin with the clothing if the burn is severe.
Cool running water also helps to clean the burn and prevent infection.
After the burn is cool, gently remove rings, watches, clothing or anything that may constrict the area if it starts to swell. Do not try to remove anything that is stuck to burnt skin. Wiping a burn can further damage the skin.
Cover the area with clean, non-fluffy material. Aluminium foil is a good cover.
First and second degree burns respond well to home treatment. Third and fourth degree burns need urgent medical attention. If it is possible that you are dealing with a third or fourth degree burn, do not try to use the remedies below, but instead seek urgent medical burn specialist treatment after cooling the burn.
- Honey. This traditional remedy has been used for thousands of years. It reduces inflammation and swelling, and acts as an antibiotic.
- Colloidal silver is a good disinfectant and antibiotic. It is a particularly good remedy for burns, and helps to prevent scarring from burns.
- Baking soda (sodium bicarb). Make a thin paste using equal parts of water and bicarb. Apply the paste directly to the burn.
- Aluminium foil. Yes, this is the foil in your kitchen that you use for baking potatoes or covering a dish. After the burn has cooled, which takes 10 to 20 minutes, gently dry it with a soft clean cloth. Make sure not to rub or damage the skin. You can first apply colloidal silver or honey, and then put aluminium foil on top. Leave the foil on for a few hours or overnight.
- Egg whites. If the egg whites come out of the refrigerator and are cold, apply them to the burn immediately. If the egg whites are not cold, FIRST cool the burn with cool water. Separate the whites from the yolks, and apply cool egg whites on the burn. If the egg whites dry, apply more cool egg whites or cold water.
- Do NOT apply butter, oils or creams to burns. They do not help, and can spread infection.
- Cool / Warm. During the first two days, do not apply warmth or heat to a burn. You need to REMOVE heat from a burn. After two days, when the burn is healing and the initial redness, swelling and inflammation have subsided, you can use warmth to assist blood circulation and healing.
With burns and open wounds every time a dressing is changed, the delicate new skin cells end up coming off with the bandage and healing takes a long time.
If you use any remedies from Grow Youthful, please come back next week (or whenever you have an outcome) and let us know about your experience. Please leave a comment as many people are interested.
See details of remedies recommended by Grow Youthful visitors, and their experience with them.
References
1. Tintinalli, Judith E.
Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide.
2010, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. pp. 1374-1386. ISBN 978-0-07-148480-0.
2. Goutos I, Dziewulski P, Richardson PM.
Pruritus in burns: review article.
March-April 2009. Journal of Burn Care & Research. 30 (2): 221-8.
3. Marx J.
Electrical and Lightning Injuries.
Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice. 7th ed. 2010. Chapter 140. Philadelphia: Mosby/Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-323-05472-0.
4. Peck MD.
Epidemiology of burns throughout the world. Part I: Distribution and risk factors.
November 2011. Burns. 37 (7): 1087-100.