How to Easily Clean and Treat a Burn

Burns can be cleaned and treated at home as long as proper techniques are employed to prevent infection and promote healing. It is important to be able to determine what kind of burn you are dealing with as well, as this will also determine what steps to take.

Things You'll Need

• Cool water
• Sterile dressing
• Antibotic ointment
• Aloe vera
• Over-the-counter pain reliever

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Instructions

• 1

  Determine the severity of the burn. Before treating a burn, you must determine what degree of severity the burn represents. A first-degree burn is very superficial, with no broken skin. A second-degree burn involves deeper layers of skin and may include broken blisters. A third-degree burn involves the deepest layer of skin and possibly underlying tissues such as muscle and fat. The skin is charred and damaged.

• 2

  Cool the burn. If the burn is a first-degree or localized second-degree burn, run cool water over the affected area for up to 5 minutes. Do not put ice on the burn as it may cause additional damage to the skin.

• 3

  Apply aloe vera. If the skin is unbroken, you may administer aloe vera to the affected body part. This will help continue to cool the burn and promote healing.

• 4

  Apply antibiotic ointment. If the skin is broken, instead of applying aloe vera, you should apply an antibiotic ointment to help prevent infection.

• 5

  Cover the burn. Loosely wrap the burn in dry, sterile gauze. This will help prevent infection and reduce the amount of pain associated with the injury.