What do you do if you get burnt?

Question

I was making lunch and when i picked up the pan to bring it to the sink i put my hand to far down the handle and burnt the side of my finger. The first thing i did was run cold water over it. is there anything else i should do?

Answer 1

'mittobridges' is correct in what he said about burns along with any one else who said cold running water first.

BURNS
Your skin is a protective barrier to infection, and any loss of skin, however small, is susceptible to infection. any burn bigger than a 50 cent coin, you must seek medical attention. If the burn is bigger than the casualty's hand then call an ambulance immediately.

Management of a burn
* Cool burnt area (minimum 10-20 minutes cold running water or until no further pain is felt)
* Remove jewellery
* Cover with sterile non -stick dressing
* Seek medical help urgently.

DO NOT
- Apply lotions, oily dressings (butter)
- Prick / break blisters
- Give alcohol to drink
- Over-cool casualty (shock)
- Use cotton wool, adhesive dressings etc.
on burn.

If you have no non stick dressing use glad wrap, it acts as a second skin and will also protect the skin from infection.

The reason why we;
Don't apply creams, Makes it hard for doctors to assess for the burn properly.
Don't break or burst blisters - Increase the risk of infection.
Don't give alcohol - Increase shock.
Don't use cotton wool or adhesive dressing - Is they stick to burn and hard to remove.

If a burn involves the
Airways
Face
Genitals
Hands
Then seek medical aid immediately!

Answer 2

Application of cold water was the best thing you could have done. If your finger is only a little red, then you probably have a 1st degree burn. If the burned area is small, then that should be all you need to do, except keep the area clean. If ther are blisters, you have a 2nd degree burn. If skin is missing, or very discolored, you may have a 3rd degree burn. If the area is not small, and you notice more than blistering, or you are having a lot of pain, you should consider seeking Medical Advice. Also check on the last time you had a Tetanus Shot.

Answer 3

On a first degree burn you should run cold water over the area to prevent the cooking if you plan to see the doctor don't put anything on it. If you see the doctor ask what you should use. Continue to use cold water hot water to a burn will hurt ouchhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Second degree burn same procedure except see the doctor and again don't put anything on it because the doctor will have to scrape it off and that will hurt more.
Third degree have the person transported to hospital and let them look after the person.

Answer 4

I burnt my hand very badly at work some years ago, the first aider put my hand under cold running water and arranged for me to go to hospital. Whilst waiting to see a doctor the nurse told me to keep my hand under the cold running tap. The burns were treated with Flammazine cream and bandaged. I was told that without the IMMEDIATE application of cold water my burns would have needed skin grafts. I made a 100% recovery.

Answer 5

you were right to run it under cold water. until the burn heals-do NOT use warm or hot water on it (unless in the shower). the warm water could worsen the burn.

best thing for it is aloe vera gel (you can put it in the fridge to cool to help soothe the burn when applying it).

if the burn is blistered-you need to make an appt to see your dr within 24 hours to get a special cream called silvadene.

you can cover the burn with some guaze wrap at night to keep the aloe vera gel from rubbing off and to also keep the sheets from rubbing up against the burn and irritating it. otherwise keep it open to air-this will help it heal faster.

don't apply and oils,lotions,or ointments to the burn (this includes neosporin). these things can actually trap heat inside the burn making it worse. and do NOT apply any food products either-in addition to trapping heat, these items can also lead to infection.

report to the emergency room if

-the burn has increased redness or swelling
-the burn begins to drain any type of liquid (pus)
-you begin to run a fever of 101.0 or higher
-you have red lines extending up your hand from the burn site (indicates infection in the bloodstream-you'll need iv antibiotics asap)

all of these are signs of infection and you'll need antibiotics to treat it

i hope you feel better soon.

Answer 6

the best advice for burns is to run the burnt area under a cold tap for approx 10 minutes then place some clingfilm around the area and if really bad seek medical advice

Answer 7

if its only a minor thing, then running cold water on it is the best thing to do. also, sitting with ice on it can help.

if it continues to be painful, get it checked out. even minor burns can be seriously painful, but doctors can easily treat it. i burnt the tips of my fingers in a similar way a few years ago, and went to A&E and they were able to put some sort of cream on it (sorry dont know what sort!) and that almost instantly stopped the pain and prevented any scarring.

but i hope its not that bad! :)

Answer 8

Actually, answer #1 was correct, but you should, also, put ice on it for three to five minutes as quickly as possible. Depending on the severity of the burn, the above procedure will completely remove the burn or, if it's severe, reduce the pain to a very manageable level. I have seen this procedure work on third degree burns-you still loose the skin, but with very little pain. after the ice treatment you should keep the burned area coated in an antibiotic ointment and covered.

Answer 9

Putting your finger under the cold water was the best thing that you could do. If you have burn cream in the house that would be best, if not, then aloe vera will work. If you have an aloe vera plant or a lotion that has aloe vera in it it will help the burn and take the burning sensation away. Usually you can find burn cream in a first aide kit.

Answer 10

Last February I suffered 2nd degree explosive flash burns to my hands, arms back and face.... I ran from the fire point to a source of cold water and doused myself untill the paramedics arrived and covered me in all sorts of weird cooling stuff.

My mother, equally burned on her hands, did not get cold water, and waited instead for the ambulance to arrive... not realising she was as badly burned as I.

We were both hospitalised at the time, I was in from 7:45 pm untill 1:00 am and discharged, my mother was in for three days. I have no visible scarring whatsoever, just some dark skin areas, my mother has visible scarring on both hands.

This tells us... the PLENTY of cold water right away, for as long as you can (hours if possible) is the best option, and seek medical advice too, even for a minor burn, as they can become very badly infected.

So.... COLD water, medical advice and once it's open and drying up, rub in (gently) lot's of aqueous cream (cheap from Boots or other pharmacies). this cream can also be used as a soap substitute.... it's VERY soothing.

DO NOT scratch the burn.... DO NOT burst blisters. (see a professional).

Hope thats some help.