Treating and Properly Covering Burn Wounds from a Fire Brief Description: If you come into contact with a fire and receive a burn on any part of your body, you need to make sure that you know how to properly care for it, and cover it with the right kind of healing material. This article suggests how to restore the health of your skin, and relieve the pain through compresses. If you are burned when your home is incurring fire damage, you need to make sure that you treat your burn wounds carefully and promptly to make sure that they do not become infected, or more severe. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you distinguish the level of burn—there are first, second, and third degree damages, and the treatment will change depending on what kind it is.
Identify the Degree A first degree one is the least severe, but still requires treatment right away. Make sure that you soak the area in cold water for at least five minutes, so that it stops burning under the surface. This will bring you some relief, as the swelling is reduced, and the burning sensation is pulled away from the epidermis. Try putting some aloe vera on it for relief, or another kind of antibiotic ointment—make sure that you wrap it is loose gauze, and keep it protected from air and water. A second degree burn will be much more severe, and sometimes requires medical assistance outside the home. Until you can get to a doctor, make sure that you soak the hot area for at least fifteen minutes. Keep cool wet clothes on it for a few minutes every day. Cover it in antibiotic ointment, and keep it covered with dressing at all times.
Day to Day Care Change the dressing every day, and keep the area clean so it does not become infected. Check the burn every day for signs of infection, such as increased pain, redness, swelling, or pus—if you see these beginning to form, make sure that you seek medical care from a doctor right away. You can expect it to itch quite a bit as it heals— however, you need to be careful not to scratch it, so you do not make it worse. As it heals, keep sunscreen
on it, so it is not damaged by the sun. When you are ready to cover the area, no matter what degree your injury may be, you need to choose the right type of gauze or fabric to cover it. They keep an inner layer of moisture on the skin, so that it heals more quickly.
Other Ways to Heal Your Burn You could also choose a kind of adherent dressing, that will bind to the wound, and be therapeutic to your injury. They are generally made of a silicone-coated synthetic mesh that a patient or health provider can remove without difficulty from the burn site. Make sure that it is applied by a health care professional, and wrapped very carefully. Have it removed by a professional, so that the area is not damaged further. There is another option as well—you can apply an antibacterial or antimicrobial dressing. Burn dressings that keep the wounded area moist and bacteria-free are crucial to the healing process. Health care providers place this silver, absorbent dressing over a wound to pull fluid that drains from the site. As this occurs, this dressing transforms into a gel that protects the burn wound from bacteria as it hardens. You could also choose an antimicrobial dressing made of soft silicone that releases silver into the wound for up to seven days. Health care practitioners generally wrap these types of burn dressings with a gauze, fabric, or adherent to keep them in place. They can speed the healing process along, and can prevent infection very effectively. If you are want this type of treatment, make sure that you let your doctor know right away. This is generally used for the most serious kinds of injuries, including third degree burns. Last but not least, there is EMS dressing, which is often applied by emergency medical technicians while they are transporting you to a hospital. They are coated with gel, and used to seal off air and bacteria from the area as you make your way to a doctor for more comprehensive treatment. Emergency workers often use saline solution, which replaces fluid lost from burn wounds, in conjunction with these sheets. Make sure that you seek treatment right away, and use the proper techniques to heal your wound. If you are careful, the area will clear up safely, and without any infection.
After all your wounds have healed, there may exist more burns still, however, on your home. If you have gotten fire damage on your home you many need to find a property restoration service to help to heal your home as well. Photo Credit: IceBone, Mindful One, In dust we trust