Burns happen to everyone! What do you do?
My Twin gets a bad burn
When my brother was about 2 years old, he grabbed a mug off the kitchen table to see what was in it. Unfortunately, it was boiling water that my mother had just made for instant coffee, and when he grabbed it, it tipped onto his face and chest. Thankfully my mother was there, and immediately rushed him to the tub, stripped him and ran cold water on the burns.
At the emergency room at our local hospital, he was treated for second and third degree burns on his face and his arm. Thanks to prompt medical treatment, his is ok, with only one small scar on his arm where the skin doesn’t tan.
Toasted Marshmallows AND Lips.
Another time, we were at our grandparents camp, and I decided to burn my marshmallow instead of toasting it slowly. After catching it on fire, I brought it too close to my lips to blow it out, and actually burned my lips quite badly. Thankfully lips heal fast, and the only thing I needed to make I better was a washcloth full of ice on my mouth for a day or so.
What do you do for a burn?
First, STOP the burning. Remove the burned part from the source.
1. Get out of the sun and/or put on a shirt if you are getting a sun burn
2. Brush off dry chemicals that are burning with a gloved hand, and remove any clothing with chemicals on it.
3. Shut off the electricity if someone is in contact with it, or if that isn’t possible, throw a dry towel or sweatshirt over their hands or feet and pull them away from the electricity without touching them or it.
4. Take the affected part off the hot stove or hot mug of coffee. If clothing or other things are stuck to the burned area, leave them in place, since removing them could cause you to remove valuable skin or tissue.
Next, COOL the burn
Rinse, flush, or continually run cool water over the burn. Avoid the use of ice, especially for more severe burns, as the persons ability to sense cold has been lessoned, and it may cause an ice burn.
Then COVER the burn with a loose, dry, sterile dressing. If you have a first aid kit handy, and can use a non stick dressing, that is the best type. If you know you are going to the hospital, you may choose to just keep running the affected part under cold water until the ambulance comes, as they will have better sterile wraps than can be found in a traditional first aid kit.
Lastly, please DON’T put creams, ointments or other things on a burn without consulting a doctor. This includes, but is not limited too: Butter, Vaseline, Chewing Tobacco, Tomato Sauce, Tea Bags, and Noxzema. Most people apply these things before properly cooling the burn anyway, and effectively create and “oven” effect, causing further damage because the burn is still cooking.
