Burns of all types, mild or severe are nasty and painful. However, they happen to be one of the most common household injuries. Mainly while cooking or baking, unpleasant burn injuries can frequently give someone a challenging time. Then there are severe burns which can be caused by direct contact with fire or a heated object. In medical terms, burns can be categorized as per their severity — the first, second, third and fourth degrees. The first and second-degree burn can be treated at home, while third-degree which affects the skin deeper should be treated in a hospital. In this post, we are aiming to explore ice and what it can do to first and second-degree burn.
Is it bad to put a burn in cold water?
Why is ice bad for burns ?
- Do not cool a burn in children or the elderly instead take them to the hospital
- For large burns do not try home remedies on them
- Consider the duration of cooling the burn, cool the burn with clean running water for up to 20 minutes. Extended cooling can cause hypothermia.
- Cooling the burned skin may be helpful for up to three hours post-injury.
Some people claim ice can help cool the tissues and stop the progression of the burn. While others say, one should not use ice, or ice-cold water, on burns. Extreme cold applied to a burn can further damage the tissue.
To cool and clean a burn properly, get rid of any clothing that covers it. If the clothes adhere to the burn, do not peel it away; this could damage the underlying skin.The best thing to do to a mild burn is to cool it off by running the burned area under cool water for about five minutes. You can also apply a compressor a clean, cool and wet cloth on the burned area.
Then clean the area using a mild soap, and apply a topical antibiotic cream to shield the area from infection. While cooling the burn is a very effective way of decreasing pain and minimize the extent of damage, pay attention to the following measures below to avoid complications
Why does cold water help burns?
When a person gets a burn, the skin damage for the first and some of the second degree is just on the surface of what is changing in the body; most of the damage occurs internally under the skin as thermal damage. Running cold water bombards the sensory nerves and distracts it and helps stop the spread of thermal burn beneath the skin which the naked eye cannot see.
How long should you ice a burn?
How to ice a burn?
If you have had a minor burn, then you probably know how these burns hurt. Possibly you run cool water or applied some ice to the affected area- well as already discussed that is not a good idea. But what is the right thing to do for a minor or a major burn before you see a doctor. First, it is essential to know the degree of the burn and is mild (one that can be treated at home) or a major burn (one which will require doctor's care). Then you can proceed as elaborated below.
Minor burn with blisters
- Apply cool water, and not ice, for about five minutes by running water over the burn, soaking it in water or compressing it.
- After the skin has cooled, use a moisturizing lotion, such as aloe vera
- Cover the burn with a clean, dry cotton dressing to protect it from pressure and friction.
- Use painkillers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve pain and swelling.
- Update your tetanus immunization, since even mild burns can cause bacterial infection.
- Usually mild burns clear without further treatment, but if it has not healed in two weeks or it has other signs, get medical care.
Major burn care
Major burns (usually forth, five and sixth degrees) need immediate medical care or emergency room in a burn center. Call 911 if you cannot take the victim to a medical facility. You can do the following measures before you get medical help:
- Check for symptoms of shock
- Raise the body part that is burned above the level of the heart.
- Wrap the burned area with thick, clean and dry cotton cloth or sheet to protect the burned skin from pressure and friction.
- Get rid of the cause of the burn, however, do not touch a person who may have received an electrical burn, rather use a nonmetallic object to move the person away from exposed wires.
- Check for breathing condition of the person
Things you should not do a major burn
- Do not use ice, ice water or cold water on a severe burn. Ice and cold water can cause further damage to the tissue. The best thing to do is to seal the burn with a clean towel and get a medical assessment.
- Not unless a person is on fire and the only option is to drench them to put off the flames do not treat an open burn with fire. Exposing an open burn wound to water can introduce bacteria.
- Do not apply butter, ointments or sprays on a severe burn. Butter and other oils can lead to infections and will have to be removed by a doctor, and it might also make it challenging for treatment.
- Avoiding removing clothing that is stuck to the skin or try to peel away dead or burn blistered skin. This can lead to further damage and cause open wounds that are vulnerable to infection.
- If there is an airway burn do not give the person anything by mouth or place a pillow under the person's head. This can block the airway.
How do you get a burn to stop stinging?
How to relieve a burn?
As discussed in the section above, most of the minor burns can be treated at home. Burn treatment aims to reduce pain, prevent infections, and heal the skin faster. Apart from the methods discussed in the previous section, you can use antibiotic ointments to get a burn to stop stinging. Antibiotics ointments and creams help prevent infections.
- Smear an antibacterial ointment such as bacitracin or Neosporin to your burn and cover with cling film or dress.
- You can also use honey to heal a mild burn. Honey has anti-inflammatory and is naturally antibacterial and antifungal.
- Avoid exposing the burn to direct sunlight. A burned skin is very sensitive to the sun, so might you want to keep it covered with clothing.
- Also leave the burn blisters alone and avoid popping the blisters. Bursting a blister can cause an infection. See a medical professional if you have blisters.
Ice pack burn
Both heat and cold can burn human skin. Severe cold causes frostbite. Spending time in freezing temperatures or being in contact with an object that is extremely cold, such as ice cube packs, can destroy the skin tissue and cause an ice burn.
When a person experiences an ice burn, the skin becomes red, white, dark or gray. They may also experience pain, blisters, and itchiness. Numbness, hard or waxy skin and tingling are also signs of ice burn. When a person experiences an ice burn, the following happens to the tissue:
- The frozen water forms ice crystals and damages the skin cells
- The water in the skin cells starts to freeze
- Bleeding can be experienced if the cold temperatures affect the blood-clotting proteins
- Blood clotting could further lead to restricting blood flow and oxygen
How to treat an ice pack burn?
If you get an ice burn, you should immediately take the following actions:
- Get out of the cold and remove the item causing the injury
- Get rid of the wet clothing
- Avoid touching or rubbing the area to prevent further damage
- Warm the skin by soaking it in hot water and repeat the soaking process after every twenty minutes
- Remove debris from any injured skin
- Apply blankets or warm compresses
- After the skin is warm again increase fluid intake to reduce dehydration
- To shield the skin from dirt and germs use gauze
- Apply a soothing ointment, such as aloe vera to a burn which is not blistered.
- Take over the counter painkillers if necessary
It is necessary to warm up the skin gradually instead of using boiling water or air, as extreme heat can make the injury worse. Typically, people can treat ice burns at home using first aid. Most of these burns often go away without the need for further medical attention. However, if a person experiences a more severe ice burn, they should see a doctor and medical care. The following are signs and symptoms of a severe ice burn:
- Numb skin
- Skin turning white
- Blood-filled blisters
- Skin feeling hard after warming
- the affected body part being less able to function
What to put on a burn?
You can treat most of the first-degree burns and second-degree burns at home. Read on this section to find out which remedies are best for healing your skin, and also which remedies should be avoided. Mild burns basically take around a week or two to completely heal and usually don’t cause scarring. Burn treatment aims to reduce pain, prevent infections, and heal the skin faster.
Run cool water over the burn - The first measure you should take when you get a mild burn is run cool (not cold) water over the burn area for at least twenty minutes. Then wash the burned region with mild soap and water.
Cool compresses the burn - Apply a cool compress over the burn area to relieve pain and swelling. You can apply the compress in intervals of five to fifteen minutes. Try not to use excessively cold compresses since they may irritate the burn more.
Antibiotic ointments for burns - Antibiotic ointments and creams help prevent infections. Apply an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin to your burn and seal with cling film or sterile, non-fluffy dressing.
Use aloe vera to soothe the burn - Aloe vera is often labeled as the “burn plant. Medical evidence shows that aloe vera is effective in healing minor degree burns. Aloe is an anti-inflammatory agent which promotes circulation and hinders the growth of bacteria. Apply a thin layer of pure aloe vera gel to the affected part. If you purchase aloe vera in a store, you might want to ensure it contains a high percentage of aloe vera and avoid products that have additives, especially coloring and perfumes.
Apply honey to the burn - Honey just got sweeter. Apart from its delicious taste, honey, it can cure a minor burn when applied topically. Honey is anti-inflammatory and naturally antibacterial and antifungal.
Reducing sun exposure - Try to avoid exposing the region with the burn to direct sunlight. Burned skin can be very sensitive to the sun . Thus it is essential to cover its clothing.
Do not pop your blisters - As tempting as it may feel, do not pop the blisters. Bursting a blister can expose the burn to infection. If you are concerned about blisters that have formed because of the burn, see a physician.
Take an over-the-counter pain killer - If you are experiencing pain, buy pain killer such as ibuprofen or naproxen. Make sure you read the label for the correct dosage
