A burn is an injury that leads to disruption of tissue integrity. They are distinguished by the type of traumatic factor and the depth of damage.
According to the type of damaging factor, the following are known: thermal, chemical, electrical, wave types of damage. According to the degree of penetration of the burn, 4 stages are known. In the second and higher stages of the burn, blisters appear on the dermis, which burst after a while. After this, lesions remain on the skin that are susceptible to getting wet.
Description
A person faces various types of trauma throughout his life, starting from childhood. Before treating a lesion, you need to know everything about this type of injury. The damage is a violation of tissue trophism, which can be localized in various parts of the body. Weeping damage can cover different areas and depths of penetration. In this case, various structures from the dermis and blood vessels to bones and internal organs can be affected. Non-healing weeping lesions occur when the skin humidity is high. The mechanism of occurrence of such burns is similar to the way of formation of ordinary injuries.
There are several phases in it:
- inflammatory process;
- regeneration;
- scarring.
Restoration and healing of weeping type wounds should be carried out according to the scheme. It is necessary to constantly bandage the open wound, use restorative and disinfecting medications.
Treatment of weeping wounds after burns
A weeping burn must be treated carefully. In order to reduce the risk of adverse events, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the injured areas. Carefully remove dust, dirt and pus. A disinfectant medication is applied to damaged tissue. For this manipulation, antibacterial agents such as betadine are used. Hydrogen peroxide has a good effect. If this solution is not available, then soapy water can be used. The skin around the injury site is lubricated with alcohol solutions of brilliant green or iodine. This is done to dry the edges of the damage and prevent infection. The next step is to protect the wound from pathogenic flora. To do this, apply a bandage. If the burn penetrates deeply, you must take painkillers. In some cases, surgery cannot be avoided.
How to treat each stage?
Wet-type injuries have the following periods: the stage of inflammation, recovery and scarring.
So how to treat weeping wounds after a burn? During the inflammatory process, antiseptics are applied to the wound. You can use any available one. After this manipulation, it is necessary to apply a bandage made of sterile material, which will prevent the entry of moisture.
The fluid that flows from the affected area helps restore the wound and speeds up the healing process. During this period, it is necessary to change the dressing as often as possible. If excess moisture is released, then healing is carried out using the open method. For areas of the body where fluid production is highest, hygroscopic dressings are used.
During dressing it is necessary to treat with special means. Antibacterial drugs or alcohol-based products can only be used after being prescribed by a specialist.
If there is severe pain, then it is necessary to take analgesics. This can be in tablet form, injection solutions or special aerosols that are most convenient to apply.
During the purulent-necrotic period, agents with antibacterial activity are applied under the bandage. But you cannot use ordinary ointments with antibiotics for this; they do not cope with cleansing the wound. It is better to give preference to water-based ointments, such as Levosin or Levomekol.
At the second stage, when the inflammation process has already passed, and the lesion is clean and the tissues have been restored, special burn patches are applied to the site of injury. It is impregnated with medicinal preparations, which, upon contact with the skin under the influence of heat, transform into a gel structure and have a therapeutic effect.
In the third period, Solcoseryl is applied under the gauze. This helps speed up the recovery process and scar formation.
As part of complex therapy, vitamin and mineral complexes must be prescribed. Essential substances such as vitamin A, C and E help produce collagen and start the healing process.
How to treat a weeping wound after a burn
It is better to entrust the choice of drug to a doctor. The following are the most effective drugs.
Solcoseryl is one of the most effective medications for healing the skin. It is most often prescribed by doctors for burns. The formula of the medication includes active components that nourish the skin, help deliver oxygen to cells and regenerate cells. Solcoseryl is available in the form of a gel or ointment. For weeping wounds, it is better to use a gel consistency.
Lioxazine is a high-tech medicine that provides pain relief after injury. It is able to accelerate regeneration processes and prevent the penetration of microorganisms into the wound.
Combination drugs
Amprovisol is a medicine in the form of an aerosol. It is very convenient to use for burns, since there is no need to contact the affected area. This remedy helps relieve inflammation in burns, disinfect and anesthetize the wound. Also ensures quick recovery.
Olazol is a local drug with a healing effect. Available in aerosol form. Contains sea buckthorn fruit oil. Due to the antimicrobial, analgesic effect, the process of epithelial restoration is significantly accelerated.
Traditional methods
If the burn gets wet, what should you do at home? You can use folk recipes. The most effective are the following:
Potato
The young root vegetable is peeled, grated on a coarse grater, and squeezed using gauze. This juice is moistened with a clean dressing material and applied to the wound. The dressing is changed 4 times a day.
Onion
The onion must be grated on a fine grater, then the mixture is applied to a bandage and applied to the damaged area. With the help of an onion, the injury site is disinfected, the severity of pain is reduced and swelling is neutralized.
Aloe juice
You can squeeze the juice from the leaves of the plant or tear off the skin. The fabric is blotted with liquid and applied to the injury site. When using a whole sheet, it is attached to the wound for several hours.
Sea buckthorn
Sea buckthorn oil is an excellent remedy, but it must be sterilized before using it to treat a burn. I apply wipes moistened with this product to the wound. It is better to perform this manipulation once a day.
To treat the wound, prepare a decoction or infusion of water. Take a dry plant and fill it with water, leaving it for several days. Moisten the bandage with this solution.
You can carry out these activities yourself only if the injury is not life-threatening. Before using various remedies, it is important to consult a doctor. The best way to prevent injury is to follow safety precautions and follow all precautionary rules.
A burn is tissue damage as a result of high temperature, chemicals, or radiation. This is the most common injury that can occur in everyday life. This is especially true for thermal burns.
There is probably no person who has not been scalded by boiling water or burned by hot oil at least once in his life. Treatment of minor skin burns can be carried out at home; you do not always need to go to the doctor.
Most of these injuries resolve within a few days. But you need to know how to relieve pain, how to speed up healing, and in what cases you still need to seek medical help.
How do people most often get burned?
- Half of all cases are contact with open fire (fires, bonfires, flames in a stove, ignition of gasoline).
- 20% is scalding with boiling water or steam.
- 10% is contact with hot objects.
- 20% - other factors (acids, alkalis, sunburn, electric current).
Every third person burned is a child. Most often (75% of cases) the arms and hands are burned.
What are they?
I and II degrees refer to superficial burns, in which only the top layer of skin, the epidermis, is affected. When uncomplicated, they heal without leaving scars.
III and IV degrees are deep burns, with damage to all layers of the skin and underlying tissues. They heal with the formation of a rough scar.
What burns can be treated at home?
You can treat at home:
- 1st degree burns in adults, not exceeding 10% of the body area;
- 2nd degree burns not exceeding 1% of the body.
How to determine the degree?
1st degree burn – manifested by swelling, redness of the skin, pain, sensitivity to touch, and there may be small blisters.
Stage 2 is characterized by the addition of large blisters filled with liquid to the above symptoms.
How to determine area?
The easiest way to determine the burn surface area of a home is the palm method. The area of a person's palm is conventionally taken to be 1% of the area of the entire body.
When should you seek medical help immediately?
- Any burn that involves the eyes, lips, ears, respiratory tract, or genitals.
- 2nd degree burn with an area larger than the palm of your hand.
- 1st degree burn of more than 10% of the body surface (for example, the entire abdomen or the entire arm).
- Third- and fourth-degree burns (the affected area is covered with a dry crust, charring, there may be no pain due to the death of nerve receptors), even small ones.
- The pain is uncontrollable.
- If the wound is contaminated with soil (necessity for tetanus prophylaxis).
- Burns in children.
- Treatment of chemical burns is also best left to specialists.
How to treat burns at home
- Stop contact with the scalding factor. Put out the flames on your clothes and move away from the fire. If you are burned by boiling water, immediately remove clothing in contact with the body. Throw a hot object.
- Cool the burnt surface. It is best to do this under running water at a temperature of 10-18 degrees. You can immerse the limb in a container of water or apply a damp cloth. You need to cool for 5 to 10 minutes; in case of a chemical burn, rinse with running water for up to 20 minutes (except for burns with quicklime). Cooling has an analgesic effect and also prevents the spread of heating of healthy tissue at the border of the burn.
- Anesthesia. For severe pain, you can take paracetamol, ibuprofen, ketanov, analgin, and other analgesics.
- Local treatment. The main goal in treating burns is to protect the surface from germs, relieve pain and speed up the restoration of the damaged layer of skin. They simply use sterile wipes, special wipes for burns, sprays and ointments that promote healing.
- General treatment. It would be a good idea to take restorative medications and also follow a proper diet to ensure that the burn heals faster and without consequences. It is recommended to increase the amount of protein in the diet (meat, fish, dairy products), as well as vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins. Additionally, you can take vitamin C and Aevit. It is recommended to drink more.
Pharmacy drugs
So, you got a burn from boiling water or oil. They cooled it down, assessed that it was small and shallow, its condition was generally satisfactory, and it could be treated at home. It's worth looking into the first aid kit. Those who are prudent and thrifty may at least have a package of sterile wipes and Panthenol.
What can you ask at the pharmacy?
- Sterile wipes. Better atraumatic dressings that do not stick to the wound and have antiseptic properties:
- Atrauman Ag (5cm x 5cm 250 rub, 10 cm x 10 cm 530 rub),
- Branolind N (30 rub - 100 rub),
- Combixin and Diosept (manufacturer: Belarus).
There is no need to buy everything at once; to treat minor burns, sometimes one sterile bandage lightly moistened with an antiseptic and Panthenol is enough. In a healthy person, everything will heal without the use of additional funds. If there are no sterile bandages, you can iron a clean cloth with a hot iron.
How long will it take to heal?
Superficial 1st degree burn injuries heal without consequences in 3-4 days. A slight pigmentation may remain, which will also disappear over time.
Second degree burns with blisters will take longer to heal. The bubble gradually subsides, the liquid resolves. It may happen that the bubble bursts with the formation of erosion; this requires additional treatment with antibacterial ointments Levomekol (130 rub) or Voskopran bandage with levomekol ointment (5 x 75, cm 350 rub, 10x10 cm 1100 rub), Silvacin, Dioxyzol. The bandage needs to be changed every other day. Such a burn heals within 10-12 days, also without scar formation.
If, during the treatment, redness, swelling, pain increases, and purulent discharge from the wound appears, this is evidence of infection and a reason to consult a doctor.
What not to do and why
- Lubricate the burn site with vegetable or butter, kefir, sour cream, creams, ointments. Fat forms a film on the wound, which will make it worse for cooling.
- Treat the wound with alcohol, brilliant green, and potassium permanganate. These are irritants and can only worsen tissue damage.
- Treat damage with vinegar or soda. The reason is the same.
- Tear off clothing stuck to the wound. It is simply cut with scissors around the affected area.
- Apply ice. It can cause severe vasospasm, which will impair blood circulation and increase necrosis.
- Treat with urine. Other than the risk of infection, there is no benefit from this.
- Puncture the blisters yourself. The whole bladder protects the wound from infection. When it is opened, a wound surface is formed, which can fester.
Folk remedies in treatment
There are many tips for treating burns with folk remedies. You shouldn’t trust them all recklessly. But some of them may be useful if the burn is received far from home and away from the first aid kit, or if a person likes to be treated with natural remedies without “any chemicals.”
Many plants are known to have antiseptic properties. The main principle here is “do no harm.” The safest folk remedies:
- Raw potato juice. Grate one medium potato, put the pulp in cheesecloth and apply to the burned area for 10-15 minutes.
- Carrot lotion. Instead of potatoes, raw carrots are grated and used in the same way as in the previous recipe.
- Brew black or green tea with boiling water, cool to room temperature, soak a napkin in the brew and apply to the burn.
- Ointment with calendula. Brew 3 tablespoons of dry calendula with boiling water, let it brew for 15 minutes, strain. Mix the resulting infusion with Vaseline in a ratio of 1:2. Apply 2 times a day to the burned surface. Keep refrigerated.
- Pour boiling water over dry linden flowers (1 tablespoon per glass of water). Leave for about an hour, strain. Apply 2-3 times a day until dry.
- Using the same principle, you can prepare a decoction from any herb or mixture of herbs that have an anti-inflammatory effect: chamomile, calendula, sage, string, plantain.
Burn wounds are one of the oldest injuries known to mankind. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most common. You can treat burn wounds at home if they are of minor severity. What burns can be treated at home, what remedies will be the most effective? How to provide first aid?
When can you treat burns at home?
Treatment of burn wounds at home is only possible if the injury meets several criteria:
- the burn is of the first or second degree of severity;
- the necessary sterile preparations and medicines are at hand;
- the affected area is not on the face, hand, foot or genitals;
- the burn area does not exceed the size of the palm;
- the patient does not experience any disturbances in the general condition of the body (headaches, fever, nausea).
If the burn wound meets the criteria of the 3rd or 4th degree of severity, or a child is injured, it is necessary to consult a traumatologist. Even if an adult has been injured, the help of a specialist will not be superfluous - in a medical institution you can get advice on treating wounds at home.
At home, only first and second degree burns can be treated, and more severe injuries must be shown to a medical specialist, as complications are possible.
First aid at home
First of all, the victim must be freed from the outbreak: put out the flame, remove burnt or scalded clothing, trying to injure the affected area of the body as little as possible. The burn must be kept under running cold water for 10-20 minutes to reduce the temperature of the damaged surface and prevent the damaging factor from spreading.
Note. In order to somehow “calm down” a burn from chemicals at home, the injury is washed with a solution of soda (if affected by acid) or citric acid (if exposed to alkali).
The victim needs to restore water balance. When treating burns at home, it is allowed to give the patient drinks such as:
- tea;
- coffee;
- alkaline mineral water;
- dehydration solution (add 1 teaspoon of soda and 1 teaspoon of salt per liter of water).
As a painkiller, it is recommended to take Analgin, Aspirin or drugs containing diphenhydramine.
How to treat a burn: medicines and folk remedies
When choosing medications at home that help with burns, it is necessary to exclude fatty ointments and other products containing fat - they do not allow the wound to “breathe”.
Important. For bandages applied to the injured area, fabric-based products are used. Under no circumstances should you use cotton wool!
Before smearing a burn wound at home, you need to make sure you have a sterile bandage or gauze - an unprotected wound can easily get infected
You can use medications from your home medicine cabinet such as:
- ointment "Mefenat";
- gel "Actovegin";
- aerosol "Panthenol";
- "Levomekol";
- "Levosin".
On a note. For burns at home, preparations containing silver are often used - Dermazin or Argosulfan. They have strong anti-infective properties. The edges of the wound can be treated with a solution of brilliant green to prevent infection.
In folk medicine, there are quite a few remedies for burns that can be used at home. So, When providing first aid, the affected area can be lubricated with toothpaste - it has pain-relieving properties and prevents blisters..
When treating, you can use vegetables and fruits on hand. One of the most common means for compresses is grated raw potatoes, which are wrapped in gauze and applied to the affected area.
When treating burns, it is strictly forbidden to open blisters - this can lead to wound contamination and the development of infections.
What foods will help with a burn?
The following products are also used in treatment:
- cabbage (a cold leaf of the vegetable is applied to the burn and held until it warms up, after which it is changed or kept in cold water until it cools);
- pumpkin, carrots (raw products are grated and applied to burned areas);
- the burn site can be sprinkled with ground dry pomegranate peel, after which the wound becomes covered with a crust and healing begins;
- the affected area is sometimes covered with a mixture of egg white and sauerkraut or cabbage itself;
- juice from fresh dill is diluted with chilled water in a ratio of one to two, and lotions are made.
For better recovery, you need to eat certain foods that promote skin regeneration - lean beef, figs, onions, garlic, radishes, cabbage, almonds.
Cabbage leaf can be used immediately after a burn - it cools the skin and soothes it.
Note. During the recovery process, it is necessary to carefully monitor the patient's health. At the slightest suspicion of its deterioration, you should contact a medical facility.
How to cure a burn with medicinal plants
Traditional medicine has many means to eliminate the consequences of burn wounds.
- Peeled and grated to a pulp, an aloe leaf is applied directly to the site of injury. The treated wound is wrapped in gauze.
- A decoction is prepared from two parts of oak bark and ten parts of water. The cooled product is used to prepare compresses, lotions, and for washing wounds. A decoction of linden flowers is also used (only it is prepared in a ratio of 1:10).
- An ointment is prepared based on tincture of calendula and petroleum jelly: the components are mixed in a ratio of 1:2, respectively. Apply the resulting mixture to the burn.
Folk remedies for burns on the face
Important. It is strictly not recommended to independently treat facial burns resulting from exposure to fire, boiling water or aggressive chemicals.
Aloe juice is the most popular medicine for treating burns on the face. Using products based on it, special lotions and compresses are made.
Often, especially on hot sunny days, burns appear on the skin of the face. To eliminate them, you can use traditional medicine, which is easy to prepare yourself. The most popular are:
- Special lotions are made with cotton swabs soaked in aloe juice. The drug is used 2-3 times a day, usually for no more than a week.
- A teaspoon of propolis is mixed with three tablespoons of water. Soak a cotton pad in the resulting solution and apply it to the affected area for 10-15 minutes.
- Essential oil from rose petals is mixed with vitamin E. This mixture should be rubbed into the damaged area of the skin two to three times a day.
- It is recommended to apply a honey mask to the face for 15-20 minutes three to four times a day, after which the product is washed off with cold water. To prepare the drug, use a teaspoon of honey and vegetable oil, as well as an egg yolk. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed.
Honey mask is used not only to treat burns on the face, but also as an effective cosmetic skin care product
Essential oils for skin burns
Aromatherapy is often used to treat skin burns caused by the scorching sun.
Important. Even with minor burns, you should take the problem seriously - frequent injuries are fraught with the development of other diseases, including skin cancer.
It is recommended to add six drops of chamomile oil to a warm bath after unsuccessful sun exposure. It is recommended to repeat the procedure three to four times a day.
A bath with chamomile essential oil perfectly soothes and cools the skin. When using the product to treat a child, it is enough to add 4 drops.
Ten to twelve drops of lavender oil are diluted in a tablespoon of chilled boiled water. The resulting mixture is applied to the burn site. If the skin damage is serious (it is covered with blisters), the body area is covered with undiluted oil.
Important. It must be remembered that essential oils are used only after receiving burns. Under no circumstances should they be used as sunscreens.
Treating burn wounds at home often has no worse effect than undergoing procedures in a medical facility. But even with minor damage, it is better to consult a specialist to prevent unwanted consequences.