How to quickly cure a burn from boiling water

A burn is an acute injury to the skin and underlying tissues. There are different types of burns: thermal, electrical, chemical, radiation. The most common burn at home is boiling water. The severity of tissue damage from a boiling water burn depends on its location.

The easiest way to burn your hand with boiling water is to accidentally spill freshly boiled water. It is more difficult to get burned on the face, neck, inner shoulder and thighs, but in these areas the damage will be deeper even with short-term exposure to hot water.

Burns on the leg (especially in the foot area) and on the back are less likely to be deep and heal faster. A facial burn is life-threatening, since such injuries are often combined with damage to the eyes, mouth, and respiratory tract.

Depth of lesion

How do you know how deep a burn is as a result of exposure to boiling water, when do you need to see a doctor, and in what cases can you handle it yourself? To do this, you need to determine the degree of burn and the area affected.

1. A-grade: thick-walled blisters appear with the formation of a scab. Healing occurs due to preserved glands, bulbs and epithelium
2. B-grade: more severe. When scalded with boiling water, wet necrosis (tissue death), non-infectious purulent inflammation is formed, after which scarring occurs

For 1st degree burns and a small affected area (1st degree - less than half of the palm), visiting a doctor is not required, only if desired. If a 2nd degree burn occurs, especially if it becomes infected and inflammation increases, you should consult a doctor immediately. 3rd and 4th degree burns require immediate medical attention.

A large area and depth of damage can be life-threatening. The criterion is the appearance of a total burn of 1-2-3a degrees, occupying more than 30% of the body area. Burns of 3b and 4 degrees are dangerous even if more than 10% of the surface is affected.

How to correctly determine the area of ​​skin damage on your own?

You can use one of the methods: the simplest of them are the Wallace method (“rule of nines”) and the Glumov method (“rule of the palm”).

1. Wallace method: surface area corresponds to 1 or 2 nines (9% or 18% of the total body area): 9% for each arm, head, 18% for the front and back surfaces of the body, each leg. Only 1% of the body is allocated to the perineum.
2. Glumov's method: the area of ​​1 palm corresponds to 1% of the body surface.

First aid

What not to do:

1. Do not immediately apply the anti-burn agent, you should first cool the skin
2. Do not lubricate the skin:

1. irritating agents - iodine, brilliant green, alcohol, urine, vinegar, onion, toothpaste and other “harmful” advice from books on traditional treatment, since irritating substances will damage the skin even more
2. oils that close pores (sea buckthorn oil is good only during the healing stage, but not immediately after a burn)

What to do first in case of a burn with boiling water:

1. Stop the high temperature (hot water burns are possible in a utility accident), remove clothes if boiling water gets on them
2. Cool the skin immediately: thermal damage continues even after the hot water stops. Strongly heated tissues damage surrounding healthy ones, so cooling in this case is extremely necessary. A stream of cold water and an ice pack are suitable for this. The duration of such an event is 10-15 minutes.
3. For 1st degree damage, the best remedy for burns is Panthenol (analogues of Bepanten, Dexpanthenol, Pantoderm, etc.). It must be sprayed over the entire surface and left until completely absorbed. If you use Panthenol in the first 2-3 minutes after receiving a burn, the skin will heal faster.

1. For burns of 2nd degree or higher, you need to carefully cut off the clothing and apply an aseptic bandage. If the face is burned, do not apply a bandage, but apply Vaseline.
2. In case of a burn of significant area and depth, you should, if possible, administer an anesthetic, warm it up (wrap it up and give you warm tea), and organize plenty of alkaline drinks.

Further treatment of the burn with boiling water continues independently or in a hospital (depending on the severity).

So, how to treat a skin burn at home?

Treatment of the burn surface with medicated bandages is called closed treatment. This is the method that will be useful for independent actions.

For a 1st degree burn, a medicated bandage is used. The best ointment for burns is Bepanten. It is enough to apply it once and apply a bandage for 4-5 days. There is no need to change the bandage during this time; the skin will have time to heal.

For a 2nd degree burn, treatment is carried out first by a doctor and then independently. The doctor will clean the burn surface and tell you how to treat the affected skin. Toilet of the burn surface without hospitalization is carried out when a small area is affected and without signs of shock. The procedure includes the following steps:

1. anesthesia
2. treating the skin around the burn with an antiseptic
3. removal of exfoliated epithelium, dirt, clothing
4. trimming and emptying large blisters; the lid of the bubble is not removed, since it serves as a kind of protection for the wound underneath
5. applying an ointment bandage with a bactericidal ointment (levosulfamethakaine, streptomycin and others).

At home, the bandage is changed once every 2-3 days until the skin heals.

Treatment of severe burns

Treatment of 3-4 degree burns is carried out only in a hospital. Upon admission, antishock therapy is carried out. Burns are carried out in an open or closed way. The open method is needed mainly for burns of the face, neck and perineum. 3-4 times a day, lubricate the affected skin with an antiseptic ointment or Vaseline.

All efforts are directed towards the rapid rejection of dead tissue, the formation of a dry scab, the prevention of purulent-inflammatory processes, and the removal of toxic substances from the body. In addition, for burns of 3b and 4 degrees, surgical treatment is carried out, including excision of the area of ​​necrosis, closure of the defect and skin grafting.

Treatment of burns with folk remedies

Expensive medications are not suitable for everyone. In such cases, a good folk remedy for burns with boiling water will come in handy.

Traditional methods of treatment are suitable only for first-degree burns, since self-medication of second-degree burns is fraught with complications that will lead to an unsightly scar.

The mildest and most effective remedies, especially for a child who is burned by boiling water: pumpkin pulp, raw grated potatoes, aloe, honey, cabbage, raw egg white. How to use:

1. simply apply pumpkin pulp to the burn site
2. raw potatoes, honey: grate, add 1 teaspoon of honey to 100 grams of grated potatoes, mix. Put the mixture in gauze, apply the lump to the burned area of ​​skin, wrap it with a bandage, leave for 2 hours, repeat 2-3 times a day
3. aloe: cut the top layer from an aloe leaf or grind it, attach it to the skin with a bandage, apply 2 times a day
4. cabbage, egg white: chop the cabbage, mix with raw egg white, apply to the burned skin.

Products that require longer preparation:

1. Veronica officinalis: pour 20 grams of boiling water, leave until cool, treat the burn area
2. meadow clover: pour 2 tablespoons of boiling water over a glass, leave until cool, use as lotions
3. green, black tea: brew strong tea, cool to a temperature of 13-15 degrees, use as lotions for up to 10-12 days.

What else can you apply to a burn if you don’t have medicinal ointments on hand? Self-prepared ointment, which sometimes works more effectively than pharmacy ointment.

1. So, you need to take 100 grams of spruce resin, beeswax and lard, boil everything and cool. The result is a miraculous ointment that cures burns in just 3-4 times of application.
2. Another good remedy is comfrey ointment (its other names are honeysuckle, bonebreaker). To prepare the ointment, you need to pass fresh comfrey root through a meat grinder, add sulfur, rosin, and unsalted pork fat. Boil all the ingredients, while cooling, add the white of a raw egg, mix. After complete cooling, add camphor oil.

Attention! Comfrey itself is poisonous, so you should not take it orally without medical supervision.

Burn disease

If a person is exposed to boiling water for a long time and damages a large area of ​​skin, a dangerous complication may develop - burn disease. This is how the body reacts to the traumatic effects of high temperature. Burn disease has 4 stages:

1. Burn shock: lasts up to 3 days. At the same time, the water-electrolyte and acid-base balance of the body changes, and kidney function is significantly impaired.
2. Acute burn toxemia: lasts up to 2 weeks as a result of normalization of blood circulation and kidney function and the beginning of absorption of toxins from the burn area. If the kidneys have not restored their function (this happens with severe burns), acute renal failure occurs.
3. Septicotoxemia: this stage occurs with burns of 3a degree and higher, coinciding with the period when the wound begins to cleanse. Purulent intoxication and dysfunction of various organs are observed: the appearance of ulcers in the intestinal tract, pneumonia. The reason here is not microbes, but blockages of small vessels due to a general circulatory disorder
4. Convalescence: the final stage of a burn disease, continues until complete recovery.

Currently, minor burns are treated by general surgeons and traumatologists, but severe burns are treated in special burn centers.

You can easily get burned by hot air in a sauna.

Everyone knows that a reasonable visit to the sauna is not harmful to health and even has a positive effect on the cardiovascular and immune system. However, advertising and fashion for relaxing in a sauna, combined with alcohol abuse, sometimes leads to tragic consequences. Many sauna lovers lose common sense and caution when visiting it (see bathhouse, sauna - pros and cons).

In Finland, for example, several deaths are recorded every year from overheating in a sauna or the consequences of burns. These are mostly men suffering from alcoholism. Spending 30-60 minutes in a sauna while intoxicated can result in deep burns and death. Usually, when men come to the sauna with friends or wives, they stay in it longer, and if they are left alone, they may lose consciousness and in this case are exposed to prolonged exposure to hot, dry air. In this case, damage to all layers of the skin and deep tissue damage occur.

What happens during alcohol intoxication + hot dry air:

1. dehydration and increased sweating lead to increased heart rate and increased platelets in the blood, which increases the risk of arrhythmia and other cardiovascular disorders
2. heated blood increases the temperature of the skin and body, causing pronounced erythema, which after a few days is replaced by a burn of the subcutaneous tissue, all layers of the skin and even deeper tissues.

Dehydration, intense sweating, thrombocytosis, decreased blood pressure, poor circulation and body immobility contribute to the development of a burn in a short time. And alcohol increases dehydration, a drop in blood pressure, and arrhythmias; it disrupts skin circulation and causes overheating of the skin, especially its upper layers.

When a patient is admitted to the hospital with burns from the hot air of a sauna, the severity of his condition may be underestimated, since outwardly it looks like mild erythema. Surgeons (without experience working with such injuries) may underestimate the degree of danger of a burn to the patient’s life.

Even with a relatively small area of ​​damage, this condition causes disability and high mortality due to a combination of damage to the underlying tissues and deep necrosis. Be careful and do not drink alcohol during sauna treatments!

None of us are immune from such household injury as a burn with boiling water. At such moments, most people begin to panic: they don’t know what to do, where to run or how to help the victim. You should get your bearings and calmly, without worry, provide first aid. It is very important. After all, how deeply the burn will spread and what area of ​​skin it will affect depends on how correctly and timely the assistance was provided.

What do people begin to do at the level of instinct? They run to the bath and expose the affected area to running water. Of course, it is better not to use running tap water, but to pour water into a bucket and use it. There are two important points to consider:

1. use cool water, but in no case cold, otherwise you can cause shock due to sudden hypothermia by such actions;
2. While the affected area of ​​skin is in the water, try to assess the degree of the burn.

How to correctly assess the extent of the burn surface?

The following features are typical for a first-degree boiling water burn:

1. superficial lesion;
2. hyperemia;
3. edema;
4. small bubbles.

With the second degree, the characteristics change slightly:

1. the burn is also superficial, but a little deeper;
2. the bubbles are tense or have already burst;
3. swelling;
4. redness;
5. a thin scab is formed.

As for the third degree, the burn has the following features:

1. the burn surface is so deep that it reaches the muscle fibers;
2. small blisters have already burst;
3. the presence of a dry crust.

The most severe, fourth degree, is characterized by the following symptoms:

1. the lesion reaches the skeletal system;
2. necrosis of surface tissue occurs;
3. fabrics become charred and blackened.

If we talk about the first and second degrees of severity, then, as can be seen from the clinical picture, this is not so scary, so you can treat a burn at these stages at home.

The main point is that the burn surface area should be no more than one percent, which roughly corresponds to the size of a human palm.

Even in the first and second stages, if the lesion has affected the bone, face, genitals, then it is better not to self-medicate, but to consult a doctor. The fact is that the scarring process may be associated with the occurrence of certain problems.

In case of third and fourth degree - serious injuries - you should immediately call an ambulance. The danger is posed by a burn of more than five percent; in this case, the risk of developing burn disease increases, a condition in which shock occurs and the functioning of the entire body is disrupted.

Regarding the specifics of treating young children, it is important to understand that the child’s body can react to injury individually and sometimes very unpredictably. There is a very high risk of complications, so it is better not to experiment, but to seek qualified help.

What further actions should be taken?

The main objectives of further measures include the following:

1. cooling the burn surface;
2. prevention of possible infection;
3. anesthesia.

If you wash the burn surface with soap and water, this will be a good prevention of possible infection. Cooling can be continued by placing a cloth moistened with cold water on the affected area of ​​the skin.

To relieve pain, you can give some analgesic drug; to reduce swelling, you will need to use antihistamines. It is worth understanding that the body loses a large amount of fluid through the wound surface, so the victim should drink plenty of plain water.

How to properly treat a burn with boiling water?

There are two methods to properly treat a burn with boiling water, namely:

The open method does not involve applying a bandage, while the closed method involves the use of a bandage.

Although the open method is more productive, it is associated with risks of infection.

A specialist should determine the methods, but at first, bandages are always used to prevent infection.

The burn surface is treated with an antiseptic solution, a sterile napkin is applied, and then a bandage is applied.

Choose antiseptics that, in addition to their main action, have other properties:

1. analgesic effect;
2. regenerating features;
3. reducing weeping;
4. antibacterial properties.

Subsequently, when the damaged area stops oozing, it can be treated with fat-based ointments. This is effective, since at this stage it is necessary to accelerate the processes of epithelization and elastic scar tissue should form.

As you can see, in order to cure a burn with boiling water, a whole range of measures are needed, which are carried out in stages. But what mistakes are made when providing assistance and what should never be done?

What should you not do?

Let's talk about common mistakes that you should avoid:

1. After a burn, immediately lubricate the affected area with fats of animal or vegetable origin. The fact is that fats help retain heat in the wound. Moreover, fats are a favorable environment for the development of the infectious process;
2. treating the affected surface with irritating antiseptic agents, namely: alcohol, iodine, potassium permanganate, etc. The use of these agents causes severe pain, due to which it will be difficult for a specialist to assess the extent of the burn surface;
3. Apply ice to the wound without wrapping it in cloth. This will worsen the situation, adding frostbite to the burn.

Features of treatment at home

I would like to immediately note that many people simply do not know how to properly treat burns on their own at home, so as a result, at best, such measures will not produce results, and at worst, they will lead to the development of serious complications.

Treatment at home is possible if the following two important conditions are met:

1. superficial minor burns;
2. absence of symptoms indicating secondary infection: red swollen edges, purulent discharge from the wound, chills, fever, etc.

For local treatment of a burn surface at home, you need to have the following things:

1. sterile bandage;
2. antiseptic solution for hand treatment;
3. medical gloves;
4. peroxide, iodine, brilliant green;
5. cotton buds;
6. gauze swabs;
7. medical elastic mesh.

Let's talk about the basic principles of home treatment for burns with boiling water:

1. the dressing material must be exclusively sterile;
2. the use of gel forms of drugs in the first stages of treatment promotes better granulation;
3. when the wound surface dries out, you can use ointment forms of preparations, this will contribute to the formation of a protective film;
4. As a local treatment for a damaged surface, emphasis should be placed on those medications that promote restoration processes and also accelerate the healing process.

So, each of us can get burned by boiling water. In such situations, do not panic; act quickly, but carefully and competently. Do not waste precious minutes of time and provide first aid to the victim before the doctors arrive. Consulting a doctor is the key to your health!

Boiling water burn – a type of thermal burn with damage to the skin and underlying soft tissue under the influence of hot liquid. It is a common injury in everyday life, and about a third of the victims are small children. The treatment regimen, recovery period and consequences of the burn depend on the degree and area of ​​damage, as well as correctly provided first aid.

Photo 1. Careless handling of boiling water can cost a child dearly. Source: Flickr (CHILDREN AT RISK FOUNDATION).

Degree of skin damage from boiling water

All thermal injuries are classified depending on the depth of tissue damage. Burns from boiling liquid are characterized by 1-3 degrees:

1. I degree. The topmost layer of the skin is partially damaged. Redness, slight swelling and burning pain occur. After a few days, such a burn heals without traces.
2. II degree. In this case, the surface layer of the skin is completely damaged. Small blisters containing a clear liquid form on it, and when opened, bright red erosions are visible. The damage goes away in a maximum of two weeks and also without scarring.
3. III degree is divided into several subspecies. IIIA - complete damage to the upper and partially deep layers of the skin with the formation of large blisters with liquid and a burn scab (a soft whitish crust on the wound). IIIB – the skin is completely destroyed, sometimes the subcutaneous tissue is affected. The pain at this stage is moderate because the nerve endings are destroyed.
4. IV degree, with damage to fiber, muscles, bones, is not typical for burns with boiling water.

The area of ​​the injured surface is also important, since even the mildest degree, affecting more than 10% of the body, requires qualified medical care.

First aid for burns with boiling water

The severity of the injury, the duration of treatment, and the risk of complications depend on what you do immediately after receiving an injury.

If the damage is minor, then it is not necessary to go to a medical facility. Deep or extensive burns require qualified medical care in a hospital.

Rules for first aid at home

What you need to do in case of a burn from boiling water:

1. Eliminate the traumatic factor (stop contact with hot liquid).
2. Cool downdamagedarea of ​​skin within 10-15 minutes. This can be done under running water, using snow or ice. Cooling prevents heating of intact tissue surrounding the burn area and reduces pain.

It is important! Cold is used only for grades 1 and 2 of injury. More severe injuries do not need to be refrigerated.

1. Apply a loose sterile dressing, freeing the burned area of ​​the body from clothing. If the fabric is stuck, trim it along the edges, without under any circumstances trying to tear it off.
2. Take an analgesic. 2 tablets of Paracetamol or Ibuprofen will do.
3. Contact a medical facilityif the burn is mild but extensive, or call an ambulance in more severe cases. Minor damage can be treated with panthenol-based anti-burn agents and a bandage applied.
4. It is strictly forbidden to: open blisters, smear the burn with vegetable or animal fats, brilliant green and other available means.

Features of providing assistance to children

First aid for a child is provided according to a similar scheme.

The burn should be immediately cooled, removed from clothing, covered with a sterile bandage or cloth, and given an age-appropriate pain reliever.

Suitable medications include Panadol and Nurofen.

If the damage is minor (the skin is red in a small area), you can use Panthenol and do not consult a doctor. More serious burns (especially of the face) are a reason for emergency hospitalization.

Note! When assessing the severity and area of ​​damage to a child’s burn, the criteria are halved. That is, a grade 1 injury that occupies more than 5% of the body surface requires mandatory medical attention.

Guidelines for helping with blisters

Bubbles with liquid that appear in 2nd and 3rd degree burns serve as a kind of protection against infection of the wound. That's why open them on your own under no circumstances it is forbidden. The doctor trims large blisters to remove exudate, after which he applies a bandage with an antiseptic. There is no need to touch the small ones - after a few days they go away on their own.

Treatment of burns from boiling water

Lungs 1st degree injuries should be treated with an anti-burn agent and covered with a bandage for a couple of days (it does not need to be changed). For 2nd degree injury you need to apply bandages with bactericidal ointments, changing them every 2 days. Heavier and extensive damage are treated in a hospital using a closed (under a bandage) method or an open method - without it. In case of tissue necrosis, they are excised.

How to treat a burn at home

If a burn with boiling water does not require hospitalization, outpatient treatment is prescribed. It is aimed at accelerating tissue regeneration, pain relief and preventing infectious and inflammatory processes.

Painkillers

First degree burns are characterized by severe pain immediately after injury, but subsequently do not require pain relief. If more significant damage is being treated on an outpatient basis, then oral administration of the following drugs is indicated:

1. Analgin
2. Paracetamol
3. Ibuprofen
4. Panadol or Nurofen for children.

The doctor may also prescribe bandages with analgesic solutions. Lidocaine is usually used.

Ointments and other medications

These funds are intended to prevent wound infection and accelerate its healing. Used only as prescribed by a doctor. The following gels and ointments are recommended for dressing:

1. Levomekol – antimicrobial agent;
2. Solcoseryl – accelerates regeneration processes;
3. Baneocin – combined antibiotic;
4. Bepanten – wound healing cream.

Taking into account the characteristics of the injury and the patient’s condition, other drugs may be prescribed, both for external use and oral. It is also advisable to take vitamin and mineral complexes.