Over 1 million Americans are treated each year for burn injuries. Some working environments are more susceptible to burns than others, but burns can even happen in the comfort of your own home.
Understanding the burn recovery process is a 7 step process that can help you, your colleagues, and your family recovers as quickly as possible from a burn.
7 Steps to Burn Recovery
Most first and second-degree burns can be treated at home, however, if your burn is more serious it is important to seek medical assistance immediately. If a burn covers more than 10% of your body, is very deep, or is on the feet, groin, or face it should be treated by a medical professional.
If the burn wasn’t your own fault then a burn injury lawyer could help you pursue a personal injury claim. Let’s take a look at what to do after you suffer a burn to help speed along with recovery.
1. Cool the Burn
The first thing you want to do when you’re burned is to remove any clothing covering the burn and cool the burnt area. If your clothing is stuck to the skin then cut around it. Do not try and pull the clothing away from the skin.
Now you can cool the burn by either running it under cool water or gently applying a cold compress. Do not use ice or extremely cold water as it can further aggravate the burn. Keep doing this for around 10-15 minutes until the pain subsides.
2. Remove Any Tight Items
The area surrounding the burn will begin to swell as the body responds to the burn. It is important to remove any tight items such as jewelry or tight clothing as soon as possible. If this isn’t possible, then emergency rooms have special equipment to do this.
3. Don’t Break Blisters
The fluid-filled blisters that might form around your burn are your body’s way of protecting the skin and helping it to heal. It is important not to break them, and let them heal naturally. If you do break a blister accidentally be sure to clean it with water to minimize the chance infection.
4. Apply an Ointment
One the burn has cooled and it is clean you might want to apply an ointment to stop the skin from drying out and cracking. You should use a thin layer of petroleum jelly, aloe vera gel, or bepanthem. Do not use creams, lotions, or oils as they can aggravate the burn.
5. Bandage The Burn
You now want to cover the burn with a sterile gauze bandage. Be sure to wrap the burn loosely so as not to apply unnecessary pressure to the burnt skin. Avoid using a bandage that might shed fibers as they can get stuck to the burn. Covering the burn with a bandage will help protect the blistered skin. You should carefully change the dressing once a day.
6. Take an OTC Pain-Killer
If necessary you might want to take an over-the-counter pain-killer such as ibuprofen while your burn is healing. Be sure to follow the directions on the packaging.
7. Protect the Burn From The Sun
Once your burn is healed be sure to protect it from the sun for the first few weeks. The burned skin will be extremely sensitive to sun exposure so keep it covered with clothing.
Follow These Burn Recovery Steps
These seven steps for burn recovery will help to minimize pain and infection so you can heal up in no time. Remember, if the surface area of a burn is bigger than 2-3 inches you should have it checked out by a doctor.
Be sure to take a look at the rest of our site for more useful tips.
Danny White is a freelance writer who offers to ghostwrite, copywriting, and blogging services. He works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility.
