Burn prevention
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Burn Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Burn prevention On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Burn prevention |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Eman Alademi, M.D.[2]
Overview
Primary Prevention
To help prevent burns:
- Install household smoke alarms. Check and change batteries regularly.
- Teach children about fire safety and the hazards of matches and fireworks.
- Keep children from climbing on top of a stove or grabbing hot items like irons and oven doors.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so that children can't grab them and they can't be accidentally knocked over.
- Place fire extinguishers in key locations at home, work, and school.
- Remove electrical cords from floors and keep them out of reach.
- Know about and practice fire escape routes at home, work, and school.
- Set the temperature of a water heater to 120 degrees or less.
Lifestyle and home remedies
To treat minor burns, follow these steps:
- Cool the burn. apply a cool water (not cold) , wet compress until the pain eases. Don't use ice. Putting ice directly on a burn can cause further damage to the tissue[1].
- Remove rings or other tight items. Try to do this quickly and gently, before the burned area swells.
- Don't break blisters. Fluid-filled blisters protect against infection. If a blister breaks, clean the area with water (mild soap is optional). Apply an antibiotic ointment. But if a rash appears, stop using the ointment.
- Apply lotion. Once a burn is completely cooled, apply a lotion, such as one that contains aloe vera or a moisturizer. This helps prevent drying and provides relief.
- Bandage the burn. Cover the burn with a sterile gauze bandage (not fluffy cotton). Wrap it loosely to avoid putting pressure on burned skin. Bandaging keeps air off the area, reduces pain and protects blistered skin.
- Take a pain reliever. Over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), can help relieve pain.
- Consider a tetanus shot. Make sure that your tetanus booster is up to date. Doctors recommend that people get a tetanus shot at least every 10 years.
Whether your burn was minor or serious, use sunscreen and moisturizer regularly once the wound is healed.[2][3][4]
References
- ↑ Pushkar NS, Sandorminsky BP (1982). "Cold treatment of burns". Burns Incl Therm Inj. 9 (2): 101–10. doi:10.1016/0305-4179(82)90056-0. PMID 7150995.
- ↑ Sambandan DR, Ratner D (2011). "Sunscreens: an overview and update". J Am Acad Dermatol. 64 (4): 748–58. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2010.01.005. PMID 21292345.
- ↑ Neale R, Williams G, Green A (2002). "Application patterns among participants randomized to daily sunscreen use in a skin cancer prevention trial". Arch Dermatol. 138 (10): 1319–25. doi:10.1001/archderm.138.10.1319. PMID 12374537.
- ↑ Petersen B, Wulf HC (2014). "Application of sunscreen--theory and reality". Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 30 (2–3): 96–101. doi:10.1111/phpp.12099. PMID 24313722.