Does That Mild Burn Need Treatment?

When it comes to the necessity of seeking treatment for burns, it is generally accepted that it is not necessary to be treated for first degree burns as natural home remedies will usually be more than enough to deal with the problem.
However, the situation with second and particularly third degree burns will often be very different, although again, there are differences to take into consideration. For example, whilst it may not always be necessary to seek treatment for second degree burns, the risk of permanent scarring could possibly be minimized by seeking medical treatment for burns of this nature.
The first thing to look for is whether the burn exhibits the characteristics of third degree or a full thickness burn. For example, if the burned area is white or charred, has a leather-like consistency or is dry and relatively painless, then it is likely that you have a third-degree burn that needs medical attention.
Remember also that minor burns can mature into more serious injuries as well, so it cannot be assumed that a minor burn is not going to become a major problem. You should therefore keep a constant watch on any burn injury that you sustain so that you can ascertain whether the injury ultimately becomes one that needs medical attention, even if it did not merit it at the beginning.
Even if the burn is clearly more of second degree injury as opposed to the more serious kind, the size of the wound is relevant to whether it is necessary to seek attention. In this scenario, most medical experts would recommend that if the burn covers an area that is more than twice the size of your palm, you should report the injury to your doctor.
Furthermore, irrespective of the size of the wound, if you suffer a second degree burn on your face, ears, near eyes, on your hands, feet or genitals, you should get the injury assessed by a medical attention. The same rule applies if the burned area is on a major joint as well, regardless of the size of the injured area.
Finally, it is an unfortunate fact that all burns are painful, irrespective of the degree or size of the injury. As suggested previously, it is very unusual to need to seek medical attention for first degree burns, but if the pain caused by it becomes unbearable, you might choose to seek medical attention to get something to deal with the pain.

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First Aid Emergency for Burns

Fires are more common than most of us imagine. I hate to think about what I would do should my kid get burned severely! Would I know what to do first?
In the event that there is a fire or an incident in which you sustain a thermal burn injury or injuries, there are many factors to consider depending upon the circumstances.
To begin with, if you are involved in a naked flame incident as a result of which your clothes are on fire, the first thing that you must do is put the fire out. If you are doing this for yourself, the normal recommendation is to ‘stop, drop and roll' to extinguish the flames.
If on the other hand it is someone else whose clothes are on fire, either encourage them to follow the same routine or try to wrap them in a blanket or large towel to extinguish the flames. This works even better if the blanket or towel is damp.
Once the flames had been extinguished, remove any burnt clothing and if at all possible, remove yourself or the person you are helping from the vicinity of risk if that has not happened already.
The next step is to try to bring the injured skin area under control but in doing this, you need to apply a degree of care. This is because whilst applying cool water to the burned area within the first 30 seconds or so can limit the severity and extent of the burn damage, the water cannot be too cold and you should certainly never use ice.
Water that is too cold or ice applied to a burn wound could potentially encourage hypothermia in a patient whose burn injury is sufficiently serious and deep. In addition, applying ice to the wounded area could worsen the extent of the damage as well. For these reasons, you should only use cool water.
Finally, when you are attending someone else who appears to have been badly burned, your main focus whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive should be on keeping them both warm and still. As suggested previously, someone who has suffered third degree burns is in danger of losing body heat (particularly if the burns are extensive) and movement is not recommended.
These are just the steps you should take until the ambulance arrives!

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