About Burn Treatment

Receiving a burn is one of the most painful experiences a person can ever have. Some burns are minor and can be treated at home, while other burns are more severe and require medical attention and possibly, hospitalization. It's important to do treat even the mildest burn correctly to avoid infection and a trip to the hospital.

Significance

• If you are unsure of the severity of the burn, don't hesitate to call 911. It's always better to be safe than sorry when dealing with burns. Even the slightest burn can sting and cause severe pain. The skin protects us from infection, controls the amount of heat our bodies release or retain and holds in fluids. The skin is destroyed when it is burnt, so salvaging as much of the burnt area as possible should be the top priority in burn treatment.

Time Frame

• It's important to begin burn treatment as soon as possible after the burn occurs.
  Even in minor cases, it's important to cool the burn down and keep it from causing further damage to the skin. In order to cool the skin and stop any further damage, run the affected area under cool water for several minutes, until the heat has dissipated from the affected area. If you are waiting for an ambulance to arrive, keep the affected area in the running water until emergency technicians get there.

Types

• Inspect the burn and look for charring, blistering or sloughing (skin peeling off). If sloughing or blistering is present, then that means that the top layer of skin is damaged and it's likely that you will experience complications if not promptly treated. If there is charring around the burn area, that means that the skin has suffered damage to all three layers and it's crucial that you call 911 immediately.
  There are some cases in which a person should be taken to the emergency room or have 911 called immediately. These cases include burns to the following areas: feet, genitalia, hands or face.

Identification

• A minor burn is one in which the affected area is red but doe not have any visible blisters. Minor burns may not need medical attention and may be treated with a burn ointment such as bacitracin or Silvadene ointment. There are also topical burn gels available at chain stores that can be used in these cases. Running the affected area under cold or cool water can also help with pain, as can over the counter pain medications such as Ibuprofen or Tylenol. After you apply the ointment, make sure that you wrap the affected area with clean gauze or put a clean bandage on it.
  If these remedies do not help or the pain gets more severe, seek medical attention immediately.

Considerations

• If the area is wrapped or bandaged, make sure that you change the bandages daily and apply clean ones. You will also want to wash the affected area with anti-bacterial soap and reapply any ointment that you have been using. Look for any changes in the burn's appearance such as redness, pus or discharge. If any of these are present, seek a medical professional immediately. Also, make sure to wear loose clothing if the burn is somewhere on the body where clothes will cover it. Light cotton is always a good choice.

Warning

• Burns can be very serious and in some cases, life-threatening. While a simple burn to the hand or arm can be treated at home, it's important to know when to call 911. If the burn victim is experiencing any of the following symptoms, call 911 as soon as possible: shivering, weakness, cold sweat, dizziness, fever, confusion or chills. Burns are serious and can cause hypothermia, infection and dehydration.