How can I best care for burns?

With the first rays of sunshine, everyone feels like having a nice barbecue. But when you say barbecue, you also think of burns.

Burns are mainly caused by heat such as fire, but extreme cold, electrocution and chemical products can also cause burns. There are three degrees of burns.

First degree: only the epidermis is affected and looks red but there are no blisters. It does hurt a lot. Second degree: the underlying dermis is damaged, there are blisters and it also hurts. Third degree: the skin is broken throughout its depth but does not hurt because the nerve endings have been destroyed.

First, further burns must be prevented and then hold the burn under running water for 20 minutes. For first-degree burns, a burn ointment is sufficient. If you have burns larger than a 2 euro coin and blisters or even more serious burns, you should go to the doctor. Do not pop the blisters yourself as this often leads to an infection.

Source: https://ameriburn.org/quality-care/disaster-response/burn-care-and-prevention/

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2024-07-15 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024