Rant: Treat your Burns!

This rant is dedicated to my father, whose unfortunate accident sparked the idea.

For some reason, people don’t treat their burns. They just don’t. Cuts and scrapes get all manner of over-attention, while burns get left to blister. Maybe people think that there’s nothing you can do. What’s done is done, what’s burned is burned. But there is something you can do. Responding quickly to a minor burn can save you lots of pain, and dramatically reduce the amount of time needed to heal.

Of course, I should clarify that I mean minor burns. The little ones that you get cooking in the kitchen or passing the iron. For third-degree burns (which are painless, and either charred black or dry and white)  or anything larger than a few inches don’t follow this advice, just call 911.

So here’s what you do: run the burn under cold water immediately! Water is a much better conductor of heat than air, and so you’ll be cooling the skin down considerably faster. Now, that may sound brutally obvious to you, but (and here’s where I’m ranting) people just don’t do it!! Or they don’t do it for long enough. The Mayo Clinic recommends at least five minutes or until the pain subsides. That’s a long time! Not just a quick dip under the tap, but until the pain is really gone. Get used to the idea: you’re gonna be standing there under the tap for awhile. But it will be worth it! Following this simple treatment reduces swelling, blistering, pain, and healing time. 

A few don’ts: Don’t use ice! Nobody wants to trade a burn for frostbite instead. Don’t use butter or ointments – they really don’t work, and could interfere with healing. Don’t break blisters. Let nature do her work.

So the next time that you find yourself with a minor burn, treat it!! If you’re thinking “well, I knew all that already”, then I say put your knowledge into practice. My experience is that most people don’t. They wave it off, saying it will heal on its own. Yes, but it will heal better if you treat it!

Reference: MayoClinic.com