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Self Treatment For Burns
You may be burned any minute of any day. Knowing treatment for burns is essential for everyone. You could be burned while you are alone with no one there to help you. Burns can be thermal, chemical, or electrical.
Either form of burn can be minor or serious. Burns are categorized into three classes called degrees.
First degree burns are the least serious, involving only the epidermis. Second degree burns involve the first and second layers of skin called the epidermis and the dermis.
Between the two layers of skin are pockets of fluid that have escaped from the capillaries and surrounding cells and accumulated there to make blisters. Third degree burns are the most serious of all burns because they involve the underlying structures beneath the skin.
Self treatment of thermal burns consists of running cool water over the burned area for about 15 minutes. Should the burn be in a place that is not convenient to hold under running water, moisten towels or cloths with cool water.
Cooling the burn will help relieve most of the pain. For pain relief an OTC pain reliever can be taken.
If your burn is of the first degree or a less severe second degree you should be able to provide self treatment for burns. Should the burn be a large second degree burn or a third degree burn you will not be able to provide self treatment for burns.
First and second degree burns are painful. If you get burned badly and you don’t feel any pain, the burn is a third degree burn, and you cannot provide self treatment for burns. All third degree burns need the care of qualified medical personnel.
Never mistake the absence of pain for a minor injury, it is a major burn and needs medical attention. Self treatment for burns is not advised when a burn is located on the face, hands, feet, groin and buttocks.
Self treatment for burns is indicated for a minor burn that does not require to be seen by a physician. After you have cooled the burn, you should cover it with a sterile non-stick dressing such as Telfa. Leave the bandage alone for at least 24 hours.
The next day carefully remove the bandage and clean the area. You can apply a protective lubricant to the burned area to keep the area moist if the burn is a first degree burn.
A second degree burn should be washed with soapy water and an antibacterial ointment can be applied to prevent infection. Self treatment for burns is only indicated when the burn is not a serious one.
Many burns itch as they heal, which can become quite unbearable at times. Do not rub the area or scratch the area because the area may become irritated. There are products on the market to relieve the pain and itch of burns.
Many of these products come in the form of aerosol sprays. Solarcaine and Americaine are two forms of aerosol sprays to relieve the pain and itch of burns.
If you have a child under the age of 2 that gets burned you must not follow through with self treatment for burns.
Children have much less body mass than an adult and what looks like a fairly minor burn could be very serious for a young child.