Burn is one of the most common injuries in everyday life. However, the consequences of such tissue damage can be serious. First aid for a burn with boiling water will help reduce the negative effects of injury. Everyone should know how to provide it. Key recommendations will be detailed below.
General Description
One of the most common types of household injuries is a burn with boiling water. First aid at home can reduce pain, as well as prevent the development of serious complications. A burn with boiling water belongs to the category of thermal injuries. It can be obtained by contact with heated water or steam.
Most often, these burns heal quickly, causing only short-term disability. However, the healing rate and consequences of such an injury depend on a number of factors. The depth of the lesion and its volume may be different.
The severity of the effects of a burn depends on the temperature of the liquid. Its composition is also important. Burnfrom pure water passes faster and easier than from brine, compote or syrup. The consequences of injury will depend on the amount of hot liquid that has entered the skin or mucous membranes. They take into account the pressure and speed with which boiling water spilled onto the fabric. The timing of such exposure also largely determines the severity of the consequences.
An important factor is the fact that in different parts of the skin the burn has a greater or lesser intensity. So, for example, most often boiling water falls on the hands. The skin here is slightly thicker than on the face and neck. Therefore, the healing process will be faster. If hot water gets on thin skin, the lesion will be deeper. Such a burn takes a long time to heal.
Burns on the legs are the fastest. They are usually less intense here. The longer a person has been in contact with a hot liquid, and also the higher its temperature, the more procedures will need to be carried out in the process of providing first aid for a burn with boiling water.
Burn degree
It is worth noting that, according to statistics, 85% of household burns with boiling water do not have serious consequences. However, in children, this injury can be dangerous. Their skin is very thin, so boiling water can damage not only the superficial, but also the deep layers of tissues. Also, the extent of the lesion in children is higher than in adults. Therefore, first aid for burns with boiling water in children is usually more intense.
There are 4 stages of a burn. Depending on the volume and depth of the lesion, the features of first aid delivery depend.
For first degree burns see a doctorno need to apply. Upon contact with hot water, reddening of the upper layer of the skin is observed. There may be slight swelling and burning. Such a burn disappears in just a few days.
In second-degree burns, the damage is deeper. The effect of temperature affects not only the surface layers, but also the tissues under them. In this case, the pain will be higher than with the first degree burn. Blisters appear on the skin. They are filled with clear liquid. The skin heals in 2 weeks. You can not see a doctor if the healing process does not develop an infection. The fabrics do not leave scars.
Third degree burns affect the deeper layers of tissue. It can be of two types. Category "A" is characterized by the appearance of blisters and scabs. Tissue repair occurs through the division of surviving cells.
Degree "B" is characterized by tissue necrosis. This is often accompanied by purulent inflammatory processes. As a result, a wound is formed, from which fluid is released. After healing, scars remain.
At the fourth degree, the lesion is very deep. It affects all tissues, bones and joints. In this case, the damage is extensive or deep. The tissues become dead. It is impossible to restore them. In this case, surgery is required to remove all dead tissue.
Scale of damage
How to provide first aid for a burn with boiling water? First determine the degree of burn. Further actions depend on this. However, the extent of the damage is also important to assess beforecarrying out procedures. So, even with a first-degree burn, you need to see a doctor if the lesion occupies more than 30% of the body surface. In this case, there is a danger to the patient's life.
The threat to life is a burn of the third or fourth degree, which occupies more than 10% of the body surface. In such cases, it is imperative to call an ambulance. While the doctors are on the way, the victim is given first aid for burns with boiling water at home.
If the tissue damage is not deep (first or second degree), and the area of damage is insignificant, you can not go to the hospital. However, if the damaged areas do not heal within a few days or characteristic signs of infection appear, be sure to visit a doctor. The infection can spread very quickly. The sooner the right treatment is given, the easier the recovery process will be.
There are several simple methods that allow you to estimate the area affected by boiling water. Doctors actively use 2 approaches. The first of these is called the Wallace method (the rule of nines). According to this approach, the area of the body parts is 9% (arm, head) or 18% (leg, front, back of the body). Inguinal region - 1%.
The second approach is called Glumov's method (rule of the palm). In this case, the surface of one palm is 1% of the total size of the human skin. Therefore, the damaged area is measured with the palms.
First Aid
First aid for a burn with boiling water should be carried out promptly. The fasterthe effect of hot liquid or steam on the skin is stopped, the easier the injury will be. Children and adults, after boiling water is spilled on them, are at a loss. Many people start to panic. You can't do that.
To remove the hot liquid, you need to quickly remove wet clothes from the victim. You also need to quickly remove rings, bracelets and other accessories, materials that were on the skin.
Hot water or other liquid is washed off under cold water. The damaged area must be kept under the stream for some time. Cold water will allow you to cool overheated tissues. If this is not done, they maintain a high temperature for a long time after exposure to boiling water or steam. This greatly exacerbates the severity of the injury.
You can make a bath of cold water or substitute the damaged area under the stream. The second option is preferable, as it is more efficient. It will take some time for the container to fill with water. Delay in this matter is unacceptable. At least half an hour the damaged area should be under the influence of cold water. If the victim again has a burning sensation, you need to continue the procedure. The water should be not just cold, but icy.
Actions for light damage
First aid at home for a burn with boiling water can be different. It depends on the degree of the burn. With mild tissue damage, you can apply a bandage yourself. The victim's skin must be clean. An antiseptic ointment is applied to the damaged area, for example,"Levomekol". You can instead use a tool such as "Bepanten" or another similar composition. It contains panthenol, which promotes healing of burns.
The composition applied to the skin is covered with dressings. A clean cotton cloth is suitable for this. Bandage and cotton can stick to the wound. Bandaging will cause suffering. Therefore, it is necessary to use only solid materials that have a dense structure. Cotton wool can also injure the skin when bandaged. Therefore, such materials should be put aside. The bandage is changed every three days. When the skin tightens, this procedure is no longer performed.
You may need to take other first aid measures for a boil burn. Blisters with watery contents indicate a more serious injury. It's a second degree burn. In this case, the doctor should apply an antiseptic bandage. He will also carry out the primary treatment of the damaged area of \u200b\u200bthe skin. After two days, you can carry out the dressing yourself. At the same time, follow the recommendations of the doctor.
First aid for major burns
First aid for burns with boiling water at home should be provided taking into account the characteristics of the injury. If injuries appear on the face, the bandage is not applied. Here you need to apply a thick layer of Vaseline. Apply a bandage only on the limbs or on the torso.
A third or fourth degree burn is treated by a doctor. The victim needs to hold the damaged area under cold water. However, a bandage is not applied in this case. This will be done by the surgeon after special treatment.
Before the ambulance arrives, it is advisable for the victim to give an anesthetic injection. It is administered intramuscularly. Tablets ("Analgin", "Tempalgin" and others) are ineffective. This is due to the slow process of absorption of the substance, as well as the characteristics of the damage. For an injection, "Analgin" or other similar substances are most often used. More effective painkillers are administered by an ambulance doctor.
Other first aid remedies for burns with boiling water of the third or fourth degree are not used. While the ambulance is going to the victim, he needs to drink tea. Now you need to drink plenty of water. This requires plain water or with the addition of lemon juice. Herbal or green tea will also work.
What not to do?
It is extremely responsible to approach the procedure for providing first aid for a burn with boiling water. Folk remedies are used only after the correct treatment of the damaged area. It is forbidden to apply any ointment or other remedy to the burn site immediately, without carrying out the procedure for treating the surface with cold water.
If boiling water left blisters on the skin, they should never be pierced. This can lead to infection in the wound. In this case, the treatment will be very long, difficult. At the same time, the risk to the life and he alth of the victim increases significantly.
No waydo not use alcohol-containing agents in the treatment of burns. These include brilliant green, iodine, any tinctures of medicinal plants. It is also forbidden to use toothpaste, vinegar, urine and other compounds that cause irritation on the skin to treat the damaged surface. This will greatly aggravate the condition of the skin.
Some traditional medicine recipes suggest using sea buckthorn oil to heal the burn. This is a really effective tool. However, it cannot be used in first aid. The oil will create a film on the surface of the skin, close its pores. This will prevent the skin from breathing. Therefore, oils are used only some time after the injury, when the skin begins to regenerate.
If the damaged area is covered with a tissue that cannot be removed (the material is stuck to the wound), it is carefully cut with scissors. It is impossible to tear off such a piece of clothing. This is followed by rinsing with clean water. You can not use a solution of soda, kefir, water with lemon juice, etc. for these purposes. This will cause irritation, significantly reducing the healing rate. The use of fermented milk products increases the risk of infection of affected tissues.
Features of first aid for children
First aid at home for a burn with boiling water for children and adults is somewhat different. Even if the baby has received superficial damage at first glance, you need to see a doctor. Babies are more sensitive to pain. Their skin is very thin. Therefore, treatment shouldengage specialist.
When burned with boiling water, even the first degree, the child gets a lot of stress. Therefore, you need to show maximum sympathy and support both in the provision of first aid and in the process of treatment. Adults should not panic. All your actions and manipulations of the doctor must be explained to the baby.
If something is cooking on the stove, you can't leave the kitchen. It is important to keep track of where the child is at this time. If boiling water is spilled on an adult, most likely everything will cost a first or second degree burn. For a child, this can be a serious injury that will leave scars on the skin for life.
Folk recipes
Having provided first aid for a burn with boiling water, then the victim can be treated at home if this is a first or second degree injury. Folk remedies can be used at least a day after the injury. Sea buckthorn oil is often used for this. It promotes rapid healing. In this case, scarring does not form on the skin.
Aloe is also good for this purpose. One shoot is cut, cut lengthwise. The halves are applied to the wound with the inside and covered with gauze. An hour later, the plant is removed.
A few recommendations
By correctly providing first aid for a burn with boiling water, you can significantly speed up the healing process of damaged tissues. During this period, you can not sunbathe and sweat. If a first-degree burn has been received, sunbathing is not recommended for at least a month. You can't play at noon. It is better to do it in the morning or in the evening. Also, do not swim in different reservoirs. Only when the skin is restored, you can perform the usual actions.
Having considered the features and methods of first aid for a burn with boiling water, you can minimize the negative effect of temperature on tissues, reducing soreness. Healing will happen quickly.