What to do in case of a chemical skin burn: treatment at home

Since ancient times, about one and a half hundred herbal preparations, 22 types of flowers, 65 types of roots, 10 types of bark, 35 types of seeds and 32 types of berries have been used in Rus' to treat burn wounds.

And even today, even having the opportunity to use modern dressings and medicinal products for burns, many people like to resort to traditional medicine recipes, believing that they have not lost their significance to this day.

What it is

A chemical burn means a violation of the integrity of tissues or damage as a result of the action of agents of a chemical nature on them . Among them, the most common culprits are:

  • acids (sulfuric, hydrofluoric, nitric);
  • alkalis;
  • kerosene;
  • petrol;
  • phosphorus;
  • bitumen.

Long-term exposure of the integumentary tissues to these substances is dangerous for the body. The extent of the damage will be directly proportional to the concentration of the chemical and the time it remains on the victim’s skin. Even a weak solution of a chemical compound with prolonged contact can cause a chemical burn to the skin .

We are talking about the TOP 10 best bandages and plasters for healing burns.

What oils and ointments are used to treat burns at home?

You can often get advice to treat a burn with oil. Of course, the leader among oils for treating burns is sea buckthorn. St. John's wort and rosehip oils are also used, which contain carotenoids, tocopherols and saturated fatty acids.

There are home healers who prepare their own anti-burn ointments. For example, mixing spruce resin (resin), pork fat and beeswax.

Many people actively use beekeeping preparations - wax, honey, propolis, zabrus.

And there are also patients who use substances intended for completely different purposes to treat burns: talc, flour, toothpaste, coffee powder, ashes, and the like.

Causes of chemical burns

As a result of the contact of an aggressive substance on the surface of the epithelium, a local chemical reaction occurs, leading to the destruction of skin proteins and membrane phospholipids.

Morphological changes are complemented by ulceration of wounds and the development of the inflammatory process. All this together gives a general picture of a chemical burn, manifested in one of four degrees.

Universal cream Boro Plus can also be used to treat minor burns. Read the instructions for use.

Treatment of burns with fermented milk products and eggs.

Speaking of sunburn, one cannot help but recall the use of fermented milk products. Our parents more than once advised us to spread cold sour cream, cream, yogurt or kefir on our burned backs.

You can also find a statement that burns heal best when treated with chicken eggs. For example, they recommend the old method: beat a chicken egg and apply it to a fresh burn. Or you can get “egg oil” - burn the yolk in a dry frying pan and collect the released fatty substance, which is considered the best remedy for burns. You can also use boiled eggs by frying their yolks in a frying pan until a black sticky mass forms, which is recommended to be applied to burns several times a day.

You can use a mixture of egg white and cabbage leaves pulp. Or a mixture of rye bran and chopped cabbage leaves boiled in milk - what if this is the best remedy?

Severity, depth of damage, symptoms

  • The first degree is characterized by redness of the skin, a burning sensation and pain at the site of contact, and swelling or swelling of the tissue.
  • The second degree occurs as a result of deep lesions. In addition to hyperemia, superficial blisters filled with clear serous fluid are visualized.
  • The third degree is characterized by impaired tactile sensitivity of the burned area, which becomes covered with blisters with cloudy or bloody contents.
  • The fourth degree of chemical burn is the most severe. Such damage penetrates through all skin layers, muscles, connective tissue, reaching the bone frame.

The site of exposure to the burn agent gradually becomes covered with a crust or plaque. With alkaline types of chemical burns, the crust has a whitish tint. Alkalies pose the greatest threat to humans . They are able to penetrate quite deeply, causing irreversible changes.

Sulfuric acid turns the burned area white and then gray. Nitric acid stains the epithelium in yellowish-greenish tones. The yellow burn is inherent in hydrochloric acid . Hydrogen peroxide in high concentrations burns the skin and forms a gray coating.

When is hospitalization necessary?

Treatment of burns at home is allowed when the degree of damage is first or second. But in these cases there are exceptions:

  1. If you have an extensive 1st degree burn (10% of the skin), you should see a doctor.
  2. If in grade 2 the affected area is larger than the palm, the actions should be similar.
  3. When, in addition to the skin, other parts of the body are burned: lips, oral mucosa, ears, eyes, genitals.
  4. 3rd and 4th degree burns in children or adults require an ambulance.
  5. For pain that cannot be relieved by any means.

Self-treatment of burns is unacceptable if the wound is contaminated or caused by chemical injuries.

Providing first aid

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to stop the effect of the aggressive substance on the epithelium.

The reactivity of the chemical can be reduced by simply washing the affected area with water.

Cold compresses reduce pain and prevent the development of swelling.

Urgent Care:

  1. Remove jewelry and clothing contaminated with chemicals.
  2. Rinse with running water for 20 minutes or up to 40 minutes if the event starts late.
  3. Powdered chemicals are first shaken off the skin and only then the residue is washed off.
  4. Neutralization is carried out by exposure to a soap or weak soda solution for acid burns, and weak vinegar for alkaline burns.
  5. It is recommended to treat lime burns with a 20% sugar solution.
  6. It is better to lightly bandage the damaged area with a sterile bandage.

What kind of oil burn is strong and serious?

Medical assistance should be sought for grades 2 and 3 injury. Mild grade 1 cases are usually treated at home on your own.

A first-degree burn is considered significant if its size exceeds 10% of the entire body. You can measure it in 2 ways:

  1. First way. The victim's palm is 1% of the total skin area. Visually assess the injured area based on the size of your hand. One large or several smaller ones, the amount of which is close to 10%, are considered serious and significant. Such injuries must be treated by a surgeon.
  2. Second way. The method of nines is suitable for assessing the severity of injury by body part. If both arms are damaged, then in total they occupy about 18%, the lower limbs - 36%. The area of ​​the chest and back is 18% each, the head and neck are 9% in total.

Complications of chemical burns

As a result of severe chemical burns, the regenerative function of the skin may be impaired. It occurs especially often when deep layers are damaged. As a result, healing occurs with the formation of scar tissue.

In addition to disturbing the aesthetic condition, rough connective tissue disrupts the motor and excretory function of the skin.

If chemical contact occurs, it must be interrupted as soon as possible and immediate assistance to the victim must begin.

Incorrect actions in case of burns

When thermal injuries occur in children, loved ones begin to panic. This leads to the child receiving incorrect first aid. If a woman scalds her hand with steam or boiling water, the first thing she does is lubricate the skin with oil. Enormous harm can be caused if you anoint the burn site with fat. Because it covers the skin with a film, air access is limited and, as a result, the healing of burn wounds takes a very long time. First aid using ice may cause tissue frostbite. It is forbidden to treat the affected area with products that contain alcohol. Under no circumstances should you pop blisters yourself.

Prevention

The best preventive measure is the correct storage of chemical reagents, in particular acids and alkalis. By following workplace instructions and safety regulations, it is possible to completely eliminate the possibility of contact of aggressive substances with skin.

For this purpose, there are special working protective clothing and shoes. Before starting to work with an unknown substance, you must study the instructions for use in detail. Work with reagents is carried out using protective screens, glasses and gloves. If necessary, use masks or respirators.

How to treat further if you are burned

In most cases, burns are treated at home. To ensure that the injury heals faster and serious scars do not form, it is recommended to follow the recommendations of the attending physician, regularly change the bandages, avoid mechanical damage and lubricate the area with medications.

As a rule, the recovery time for first-degree burns does not exceed one week. If small blisters appear, treatment lasts for two weeks.

General recommendations

Each injury received can undermine a person’s health. By adhering to some rules, you can avoid complications and speed up recovery time:

  1. Drinking plenty of fluids promotes rapid skin regeneration.
  2. Balanced diet. During the healing period, it is recommended to give preference to foods of plant origin. Add unprocessed oil to vegetable salads. These products will increase skin elasticity.
  3. Alcohol consumption slows down the regeneration of soft tissues.
  4. You should not refuse to take a shower and protect your injury from getting wet. Microbes are washed off under running water. After showering, gently pat the sore skin dry.
  5. Protect the wound when working with contaminants.

If the wound is large, doctors often recommend taking a vitamin complex.

What to apply from medicines

There is a large selection of medications in pharmacies and choosing a remedy can be difficult. However, we can highlight several remedies that have proven themselves and have proven effective over many years of use by victims:

  1. Panthenol spray - this drug starts metabolic processes in skin cells and promotes rapid healing. The main active ingredient is dexpanthenol. It has an anti-inflammatory effect. Treatment is carried out 3 times a day.
  2. Olazol is made from several components - benzocaine (painkiller), sea buckthorn oil (softening and regenerating), chloramphenicol (antibiotic), and boric acid (antiseptic). It relieves pain and prevents infection.
  3. Solcoseryl starts the regeneration process, activating the processes of cell division and collagen production.
  4. Bepanten-plus will prevent the entry of pathogenic microbes and speed up healing.
  5. Lioxazine gel helps improve microcirculation, relieves vascular spasm, and has an analgesic and antimicrobial component.
  6. Guardian, Rescuer, Healer , etc. Such medicines contain natural ingredients that help to quickly cure first-degree burns.
  7. Stelanine is an ointment for burns. It starts the regeneration process. Iodine is added to it as a bactericidal component. The medicine is prescribed to patients for the treatment of burns of the first or second degree of complexity.

Medications

If you have a first or second degree burn, the basis of treatment is regular treatment of the wound with an antiseptic solution. This may be Miramistin or Chlorhexidine. Dressings are carried out at least 2-3 times during the day.

To speed up healing, it is permissible to use anti-burn agents. It is better if it is mousse or foam - they do not require tactile contact, which will avoid pain and discomfort during application.

Among the most trusted preparations for anointing a burn with oil:

  • Panthenol;
  • Levomekol;
  • Olazol.

In the second degree, a traumatologist may recommend the use of an antimicrobial gel, namely Fuzimet, Fusiderm, after drying the skin.

Treatment of 3rd degree burns is recommended in a hospital setting.

Surgical and cosmetic procedures

A burn may leave scars or welts. To eliminate them, you can resort to a cosmetic treatment method:

  • physiotherapy;
  • hormone therapy;
  • laser or diamond grinding;
  • chemical peeling.

Cosmetology is considered a conservative method of treatment. If it was not effective, then surgery is recommended. During the operation, scar tissue and a deformed area of ​​skin are excised and a cosmetic suture is applied.

Is it possible to use folk remedies?

Despite the fact that traditional medicine has gone far ahead, traditional methods of treatment are found in everyday life. Doctors are quite skeptical about them, and some even say a categorical “no” to their patients.

Cabbage leaf will eliminate pain, relieve swelling and speed up healing.

They explain this by saying that pathogenic organisms can get into an open wound and cause inflammation. Nevertheless, many methods have proven their effectiveness for many centuries.

Traditional methods

If at the time of injury there is no possibility of using medications, then you can resort to alternative medicine:

  1. Aloe is a houseplant that has long been known for its medicinal properties. It is necessary to cut off the leaf and cut it along the plate. First, wash the wound with the juice, and then apply the soft jelly-like part of it to the burn site. As an alternative, you can grind the leaf to a mushy state and make compresses from it.
  2. Potatoes or pumpkin will help relieve pain and relieve swelling. Raw vegetables are grated and applied to the injury. To speed up regeneration processes and as an antiseptic, you can add a drop of honey. The compress is kept for 2-3 hours, after which the remains are removed with a soft, damp cloth.
  3. You can treat an oil burn with Egg Ointment, which is prepared from the yolk beaten with two tablespoons of sour cream. It is applied to the skin, and after drying, the excess is removed with a damp cloth. The procedure must be repeated 2 times a day.
  4. Cabbage leaf will eliminate pain, relieve swelling and speed up healing. A white cabbage leaf is crushed and mixed with egg white. Renew the bandage regularly and within a day the result will be noticeable.
  5. Oak bark decoction is rich in tannins, which promote rapid tissue regeneration. One tablespoon of bark is immersed in 100 ml of boiling water and simmered over low heat for 10 minutes. Then the resulting liquid is cooled to room temperature. They use it to wash burns and make lotions.

Attention! You may be advised to apply oil to the burn. However, this cannot be done. The fact is that when absorbed into the skin, it leaves an invisible thin, but at the same time dense film. It interferes with the natural cooling of the skin. Moreover, the residual heat from the burn will spread through the soft tissues, causing severe pain.

It is important to take into account that all traditional medicine is used only if it is not possible to go to a medical center or buy medicine. Drug treatment cannot be completely excluded, but methods can be used in combination.

First aid for thermal burns

What to do if there is heat injury in an adult or child? The first aid algorithm is as follows:

  • First aid for thermal burns involves promptly stopping contact of the burned skin with a hot object. If the skin is charred, it is recommended to carefully remove it. Rinse the wound under cold running water for about 20 minutes. Applying ice is strictly prohibited.
  • Treat the surrounding healthy skin with an antiseptic and anoint the wound with a medicinal cream. Therefore, to provide assistance with thermal burns at home, there should always be appropriate medications.
  • Carefully apply a sterile dressing.
  • Give the victim painkillers and antihistamines.

Then the patient needs to drink a glass of alkaline mineral water or soda-salt solution (for 1 liter of water - 1 teaspoon of salt and soda). If the damage has spread to more than 1/4 of the skin, it is considered extensive. Such an injury threatens not only health, but also life. But only a professional can correctly calculate the area of ​​the affected area. Therefore, it is necessary to call a doctor as soon as possible, even if it is a first-degree injury.

If the skin lesion is superficial and small in size, you can do restorative procedures at home. For treatment, drugs with analgesic, cooling and regenerative effects are used.

Treatment with folk remedies

Despite the huge selection of pharmacological drugs, many people still prefer to treat the wound with improvised means. It cannot be said that traditional methods are less effective in treating burns. But without consulting a specialist, you still shouldn’t smear everything on the wound. And when using home remedies, you take full responsibility for your health.

So, the most popular tips on how to treat skin after a thermal burn:

  • medicinal lotions with a decoction of linden blossom between changes of dressings;
  • compresses with chilled cabbage leaves;
  • treating the skin with sea buckthorn oil (the only oil allowed in the treatment of burns).

With proper care of the burn site, healing occurs within 3-7 days. If the treated area of ​​skin begins to itch or suppuration appears, consult a doctor immediately. Infection of a wound is a serious cause for concern, and in such a situation there is no place to experiment with home treatment.

Treatment

Therapy largely depends on the extent of the lesion. In stationary conditions, it is carried out in a closed and open type. The first involves applying a bandage to the skin, which has previously been treated with antibacterial drugs and an antiseptic such as hydrogen peroxide, furatsilin and chlorhexidine. The second type is carried out using infrared radiation and fans, this is all done so that a crust forms on the skin faster.

Prohibited tricks

  • Immediately after a burn, it is not recommended to treat the affected area with solutions and lubricate the affected area with ointments: due to the resulting crust, heat transfer deteriorates.
  • Remember! Do not lubricate burns with oil, kefir, or sour cream. They will not bring any benefit, and you may waste time.
  • If bubbles form at the burn site, do not open or rip them off under any circumstances! Blisters are not a first degree burn. Call a doctor immediately!
  • Do not apply ice to the wound. Frostbite may set in.
  • Do not lubricate the burn with iodine, brilliant green or other alcohol-containing preparations - this will prevent the doctor from assessing the extent of skin damage.
  • If the skin is damaged by a burn in different parts of the body, do not allow them to touch.
  • When you apply a sterile bandage moistened with water or some other solution to a sore spot, do not bandage the wound!

Aerosol

This type of medicine is most effective during first aid, as soon as a burn has been received. The aerosol can only be used for first and second degree burns, when there are no open wounds on the skin. Using the product you can reduce pain and avoid swelling and redness. The main advantage of this type of product is spraying, because it is much better to spray liquid cream on the affected area than to smear the skin after a burn, when it is very painful to even touch it. One of the most famous such remedies is Panthenol. It is also available in the form of ointment and cream.

What not to do

When providing first aid after receiving a burn, it is strictly prohibited:

  1. Touch the damaged area with your hands (use sterile wipes).
  2. Tear off stuck clothing (you need to cut and carefully remove the fabric, and the remaining particles will be removed by specialists).
  3. Use ice or very cold water for cooling, otherwise tissue frostbite will accompany the burn.
  4. If a powdered chemical comes into contact with your skin, wash it off with water. First you need to shake off the powder with a towel or napkin, and only then rinse.
  5. In case of burns with aluminum compounds or lime, wash the wound surface with water, otherwise the burn will worsen.
  6. Accidentally or intentionally pop blisters.
  7. Treat damaged skin with irritating solutions: alcohol tinctures, iodine, brilliant green (they will only increase tissue damage).
  8. Lubricate the burn with oil, cream and other fatty compounds (they create an airtight film on the surface of the wound, which complicates the natural cooling of tissues and aggravates the condition).
  9. Use fermented milk products to treat the wound (you can get infected).
  10. Use plaster or cotton wool or non-sterile materials to bandage the wound.
  11. Bandage the injured area too tightly.
  12. Cover burns localized on the face and groin area with a bandage.

It is also strictly forbidden to self-medicate in cases where:

  • face, head, groin area burned;
  • the damage occupies a large area;
  • deep burn, 3-4 degrees;
  • a child, an elderly person, a pregnant woman were injured.

Treatment of burns at home should be carried out competently, since incorrect actions can lead to the development of serious complications (long healing, wound infection, scar formation). Knowing how to treat a burn and how to provide first aid can significantly alleviate the victim’s condition, minimize the risk of complications, and ensure normal recovery after injury. But if the measures taken did not help, and the seemingly insignificant wound does not heal for a long time, it hurts, it festers, you need to consult a doctor.

Types of burns

Burns can be deep or shallow; they can damage a large area of ​​skin or a small one. Today, the most common burns in everyday life are:

  • Thermal, which occur when interacting with a damaging hot object or hot steam;
  • Chemical – tissue damage occurs when exposed to caustic chemicals (acid, alkali);
  • Burns from a discharge arc are electrical (no less severe than damage caused by contact with an open flame).

The variety of everyday situations poses the question of what should be the correct treatment for burns in order to recover as quickly as possible?

Scar treatment

If a person has suffered serious skin damage from boiling water, and after their treatment scars remain, folk remedies after burns can help get rid of them. Here are some of them:

  • Hard boil eggs with yellow shells (30 pieces). Place a frying pan with well-mashed yolks on low heat. When the mixture turns bright yellow, remove the container from the heat. Place the yolks in cheesecloth and squeeze out the liquid. Apply it to scars every day until they disappear completely.
  • Thoroughly grind and combine melon seeds and eggshells, taken in equal proportions. Add vegetable oil there, mix again until a thick paste forms and apply it to the scar every day for two months in a row.

Burn disease

Pathology develops when a person has suffered more than a third of the surface of the body with superficial or 10% with deep damage. In elderly people and children, this disease occurs even when a small area is affected. These circumstances may lead to:

— intoxication with tissue decay products;

- state of shock;

- purulent inflammation of the skin.

It is necessary to understand what works well for burns, since if they are not treated, it is fraught with serious consequences. Infection of the lymph nodes, abscesses, cellulitis, and in the most severe situations, sepsis often develop.

Error Prevention

Knowing what can be used to treat a burn serves as a prevention of irreparable mistakes, as a result of which you can unintentionally increase the pain and depth of damage after a burn.

The following actions are prohibited when providing assistance:

  • lubricating the wound with an oily cream - the resulting film retains heat, which impedes healing;
  • applying ice directly to the wound to cool the tissue - contact causes vasospasm, increased pain, and there is a risk of infection;
  • treating the injury site with brilliant green and iodine - the wound becomes more extensive;
  • tightly bandaging a burn injury - blood circulation is disrupted, additional damage occurs to areas in the affected area;
  • piercing blisters - swollen skin retains the protective cover of the wound and protects against infection.

The presence of a bubble in a visible place, not protected from accidental damage, requires contacting medical professionals who will perform an autopsy and appropriate treatment under sterile conditions.

Specifics of treating various types of burns

Burns can be caused by high or low temperatures, concentrated chemicals or electricity. According to WHO, thermal injuries account for about 6% of all injuries. Most often, the skin of the hands is damaged, and much less often the mucous membranes of the mouth, esophagus and stomach. You can also get burned by a plant - hogweed or nettle. In an apartment, you can inadvertently douse yourself with boiling water, get burned by steam, or simply touch a hot iron with your fingers. Burn injuries in the workplace are not uncommon - burns caused by welding or working with mechanical devices.

The depth of skin damage, and possibly the patient’s life, depends on how quickly first aid is provided for a burn.

What to do if you receive thermal damage:

  1. Stop the impact of the traumatic factor. The sooner you do it, the less depth and extent of damage will be.
  2. Reduce the temperature of damaged areas. Apply a cooling agent to the affected area. An ice pack and a cold compress applied for 10-15 minutes will do the job.
  3. Only a doctor should remove or cut off clothing covering the affected parts of the body. Next, apply an aseptic bandage. If the face or perineum is injured, apply Vaseline and leave without a bandage.

With radiation burns, the skin is injured due to the action of ultraviolet or ionizing radiation. When damaged, the coverings on the leg or arm turn red, become dry and may become blistered. It is necessary to cool the skin, apply special products in the form of a spray or cream (Panthenol, Levomekol, Rescuer).

An electrical burn is dangerous because, in addition to the dermis, it affects the functioning of internal organs. The algorithm for providing emergency care is similar to that for thermal injury. In case of electric shock, medical supervision is necessary - negative consequences may not manifest themselves immediately.

After a chemical burn that occurs upon contact with acids or alkalis, it is necessary to remove the traumatic reagent from the body. For a quarter of an hour, you need to rinse the affected surface with cool water, except in cases where a person has been burned with sulfuric acid or quicklime. The interaction of water and these substances will only worsen the wound.

Rating
( 2 ratings, average 4.5 out of 5 )
Did you like the article? Share with friends:
For any suggestions regarding the site: [email protected]
Для любых предложений по сайту: [email protected]