How to treat burns at home.

How to treat burns at home.

If you are needing advice on treating minor (superficial) burns at home here is some straight-talking advice in 8 steps.

8 steps to dealing with a minor burn.

Step 1 Clean your hands and cool the burn
Cool your skin with running cool or tepid water for at least 10 minutes, ideally within 20 minutes of the injury happening. This will prevent the burn getting worse. If more convenient sit with the burned area in a bowl / bucket and change the water every 5 minutes or so. The importance of time cannot be overstated.

Don’t be impatient and think the worst is over after a few seconds – like so many do (and I once did). The longer you keep the burned skin cooled, the less the blistering and the better your recovery. You also reduce the chance of scabbing (after blistering) and scar tissue forming.

Step 2 Do not use ice, iced water, creams, or greasy substances (such as butter) to soothe your burn.

Step 3 Remove any clothes or jewellery from around your burn, unless they are sticking to it.

Step 4 Cover the burn using strips of cling film, rather than wrapping it around a limb.
You can also use a clean plastic bag on a burn on say, your hand or foot.

Step 5 Is the burn painful? Take a mild painkiller.
Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help provide relief from your burn. Check the dosage (and never give asprin to children under 16 years of age.

Step 6 Leave it alone.
Do not interfere with the burn by rubbing it or breaking blisters. If the burn is very painful, or seems to be getting worse, call NHS 111, or visit your GP for advice.

If your burn requires bandaging, do get medical advice. Placing a bandage directly on badly burned skin may cause your skin to stick to the bandage, and come away when you change the dressings. And you really want to avoid that painful scenario.

Step 7 Still worried?
If you’re in any doubt whether you need further medical assistance, call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Deep, or large burns, or burns to the face, hands, or across joints, must always be checked by a doctor and may require hospital treatment.

Step 8 Use nature to help heal your burn.
Apply a film of Aloe Ferox Super Aloe Gel directly to the burn area as soon as you have cooled the burn and removed
If you are reading this after having experienced a serious scald, or burn and are trying to find a natural treatment for scar tissue, we can recommend Aloe Ferox Tissue Oil – but do not on a fresh burn.

Do use Aloe Ferox Super Aloe Gel which is an effective, natural way to help take the sting out of burns, deeply moisturise the skin, preventing blisters and longer-term scaring.

How to treat chemical burns at home.

Here is some advice on treating chemical burns at home or your place of work. Chemicals may be bleach, battery acid or a plethora of other chemicals. The below is written for treating chemical burns such as bleach, acid (liquid) or lime (powder) burns at home.

Step 1 Wear protective gloves and…
… remove any chemicals from the skin by running the affected area under cool tap water for 20 minutes, or more. If the chemical involved is in powder form, such as lime, brush it off the skin before running the skin under water.

Step 2 Remove any jewellery, or clothing, that may have been exposed to the chemical.

Step 3 Apply a cool wet towel to help relieve pain.

Step 4 Cover the burnt skin with a dry, sterile dressing, or clean cloth.

Step 5 If you experience an increased sensation of burning, rewash the skin for several more minutes.

Step 6 Still seek help.
You should call 999 or visit your local accident and emergency (A&E) department so that the burn can be assessed and, if necessary, treated.  Electrical burns may not look serious, but they can be very damaging. Even if you think the situation is under control, you are strongly urged to still seek immediate medical attention. Please visit your local accident and emergency (A&E) department or dial 999 and ask for an ambulance. Do not attempt to drive if you are in shock – which can sometimes be a delayed effect.

Step 6 Once you are on the mend use the nature to help accelerate your healing.

Once your formal medical interventions are over, to improve your healing rate, and help prevent blisters, scabbing  and scarring, apply a film of Aloe Ferox Super Aloe Gel directly to the burn area, several times a day.

When your burn has fully healed, if you have any scar tissue, treat with Aloe Ferox Tissue Oil by applying twice daily.