How to Care for a Burn

The first thing you need to know before treating a burn is what kind of burn you have. Is the burn a first degree, second degree, or third degree burn? There are simple ways to figure this out.

A first degree burn is a burn that is classified a mild burn that produces redness of the skin but does not blister. (If you have skin redness, tenderness, and slight puffiness, you have a first degree burn.)

A second degree burn is a burn that blisters the skin and is more severe than a first-degree burn. (If you have very red skin where you were burned and blistering, you have a second degree burn.)

A third degree burn is the worst. A third degree burn is a severe burn that results in the destruction of the skin and sometimes of the underlying tissues. (If the skin is melting away, there is bone showing, there is muscle showing, severe blistering, etc...you have a third degree burn.)

Treating a First-Degree Burn:
The first thing you should do is get the burned area under cool water. Do not make the water freezing, but cool. Keep the burned area in cool water as quickly as possible. Once you have the burned area covered in cool water, leave it there for several minutes.

Make sure not to apply any oily substances on the burn. The best thing to place on the burn for healing is Aloe Vera gel. This is a natural substance from the Aloe Vera plants' leaves. This will help keep the pain level down.

First-degree burns generally do not need wrapped. It's best to let air flow get to the burn. At first the burn will hurt badly, but this goes away within a day or so. Try not to let anything touch the burn until it's no longer tender.

Take acetaminophen for pain.

Treating a Second-Degree:
Get the burn under cool water. Cut a piece of cloth and soak it in cool water and get the burn wrapped. Make sure not to wrap the burn too tightly because this will cause a lot of pain.

Make sure you remove anything that could be on or around the burn, other than the cool cloth, such as: shoes and jewelry. If the item is part of the burn and will can't be removed without causing more harm, DO NOT REMOVE IT! Wait for the doctor to remove it.

It is best to let a doctor treat the burn, but do the above to give the burn victim comfort while a doctor is unavailable. Let your doctor do what they need to do and they will tell you what you need to take for the pain.

Treating a Third-Degree Burn:

Once again, get that burn under cool water NOW! This is the most serious burn and needs to be taken care of fast. Call 911 and get an ambulance. If the paramedics do not tell you what to do while they're on their way, follow the steps of treating a second-degree burn and get a cool cloth on the burn.

DO NOT apply any oils or greases to the burn and DO NOT attempt to remove anything from the burn unless instructed. Allow the paramedics to do what is best and follow all their instructions.

There is not much you can do to treat a third-degree burn because this is a burn that requires professional medical treatment. Just do your best to keep the burn cool.