Things you don't learn in school- What to do if you burn yourself?

Image source

Burning yourself can be extremely painful.  Whether you burn yourself with the stove, open fire, steem or hot water the pain can be excruciating.  

Burns can cause: 

• Red skin

• Blisters

• Swelling

What can you do to help a burn victim?

Appropriate steps need to be taken after a burn to stop the burning process.  The heat can cause damage to the skin and if you do not reduce the heat immediately then it can cause the skin to burn further. 

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU BRING BUTTER INTO THE EQUATION!!! 

There is an old wife’s tale that tells you to put butter on a burn. There is nothing farther from the truth.  Butter can burn your skin even further as it literally cooks the skin further. 

• Stop the burning process quickly.  Remove the person from the area and smother the flames.  Use a blanket or something similar so that you don’t burn yourself.  

• Remove jewelry or anything close to the burnt skin.

• Do not try and remove clothing or anything that might be stuck to the burn.  A plastic wire melted into a person’s hand could cause great damage if not removed correctly. 

• Do not put ice on a burn.  This could cause tissue damage.

• Use cold water or lukewarm water to rinse the burn and apply a wet cloth. This can be done for up to half an hour.  It is important to keep the burn wet and cooled down.  Once it is cooled down use cling film to close the wound.  This might not look appealing but could prevent a serious infection.  

• If you have Ibuprofen or paracetamol give this to the person.  It is anti-inflammatory and could help with severe pain. 

• If your body goes into shock, chances are that you will be cold.  Try and keep the person as comfortable and warm as possible. 

Once you have taken these steps, you'll need to decide whether further medical treatment is necessary, but it is always better to have the person checked out at the hospital just to make sure that the burn is not worse than you thought.  

Immediately go to hospital: 

• If the burn is very large and caused blisters. 

• If the person goes into shock. 

• If the person is younger than five and older than sixty.  

• If the person has any medical condition or is pregnant. 

Have yourself checked out if you inhaled any smoke, or if you are coughing. 

What to do in case of an electrical burn?

An electrical burn can be very damaging.  If a person is shocked via electricity they should seek immediate medical attention.  Do not go close to anyone that has been shocked with electricity.  Switch off the main source of electricity immediately, and remove the electrical source with any material that is not a conductor.  Keep calm and seek medical attention. 

Sunburn is also a burn and should be treated as such! 

The sun can also cause burns.  Just a little bit too long in the sun could cause serious damage to your skin or even cancer.  If you notice any signs of dehydration in a person that has been sunburnt, keep the person hydrated.  

Move out of the sun into the shade.  If the skin is red, hot and painful, let the person or yourself take a cool shower to cool down the skin. Apply after sun lotion to moisturize the area and keep hydrated.  Do not use any oily products as this can cause damage to the skin. 

Watch out for signs of heatstroke and any signs of fever!  In the end it is not worth it!  Rather use a proper lotion with a SPF 50 to protect you from the sun.  

Prevention is much better than cure!