I spilled hot coffee on my lap a week ago, giving me second degree burns on my thigh. I was in a restaurant, so I RAN to the bathroom (10 seconds) while holding my clothes out from my body. Once in the bathroom, the pants came down, and I put sloppy wet cold paper towels on the burn, changing them out as they warmed. The blisters covered an area about two thirds the size of my palm. It's healing well, in part because I did NOT follow all the advice I was given.
1. "You should have sprayed it with Windex; that prevents blisters."
2. "You should have poured ice water over it."
3. "You should have put ice on the blisters; that way, the blisters harden and don't spread."
4. You should have kept ice on it for 24 hours."
5. "You should have gone straight to ER!"
... What "helpful" advice have you heard people give?
One time, I and my pals were having a picnic and coffee pot got accidentally overturned over one guy's leg. He yelled bloody murder, and then another guy just pulled his pants down, yelling in his turn for girls to close eyes... he peed all over the burn. Of course, it didn't make things any better but the guy #2 was steadily sure that fresh urine is the best remedy for burns.
Burn 2 degree on 1 y/o baby "treated" by mixture of garlic and vegetable oil so that it wouldn't get infected. Poor baby.
20+ y/o hunter got small 3 degree while out in the wilderness. Literally like a half of square inch, it would heal with no problem even if treated with traditional Russian folk medicine of vodka and nothing else. Unfortunately, the poor guy heard somewhere that the best thing to prevent infection was a dog's saliva. When his dog, being apparently more intelligent than its owner, refused to lick the burn, the guy applied some partially rotten meat over it so that the dog would be fooled into taking food. That worked, sort of. Sepsis, above the elbow and then "quarter-off" amputation, he didn't make it.
Grease, grease, grease. Only one question was what kind is right but no doubts that the more of it, the better. Imagine taking off a dressing of many layers of cheesecloth (apparently used just before the event to weight out cottage cheese) lavishly saturated with butter (and pus) after sitting over weeping 2 degree for a week... C. Diff aroma is like Chanel #5 comparing with that, plus, of course, now I had to deal with sepsis, deep necrosis, skin transplant, etc. "But the cottage cheese is full of BENEFICIAL bacteria, isn't it???"
One time, the best treatment for prophylaxis of scarring was thought to be paraffine. It was applied on liquid form and let to harden, therefore pulling skin together like compressive dressings do. The idea was sound enough but the stuff had to be applied while about 60 to 70 C directly on burned skin, with no anesthesia, twice a day. What a torture it was... when I was recently offered the same thing here for purely cosmetic purposes, I almost freaked out, and not because of price.
Milk. I know someone who swear milk helps if you soak it immeadiately. Personally I use aloe.
Well ... milk is cold.
A lot of these home remedies have a grain of truth to them. Tomorrow, I'm going to look it up in my Grandma's old medical book, which was written in 1917. I have a 1924 copy of it.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
My parents believe in applying butter (or margarine) to burns that come from cooking or scalding. Nonetheless, reading up on the various home remedies for burns has been an eye-opening experience.
My Grandma's medical book: "This was written FOR THE WIFE and FOR THE MOTHER, since the mother is the one who looks after the health of the family."
Library of Health; Complete Guide to Prevention and Cure of Disease.
Edited by B. Frank Scholl., Ph.G., M.D.
Graduate of Jefferson Medical College, and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
1921 Edition
Historical Publishing Co., Philadelphia, PA., U. S. A.
First Aide for Burns and Scalds: "In slight burns a piece of antiseptic gauze moistened with salt solution (1 teaspoonful of salt to a pint of warm water) will relieve pain, or it may be alleviated by covering with clean cloths wet with a warm solution of washing or baking soda, putting in as much soda as will dissolve. When pain is relieved, dress with boric acid ointment or Vaseline. Kerosene oil or two parts of kerosene to one part of sweet oil also relieves pain. Other applications are carron oil, made by shaking together equal parts of linseed oil and lime water. This is a good household remedy to have ready made and always on hand for emergencies, but the bottle containing same must always be kept tightly corked or flies will deposit their eggs and make it dangerous for use. Castor oil, fresh lard, cold cream or any fat that is not rancid are good applications."
He also explains what to do for chemical burns, how to treat extravasation of blood related to burns, and how to relieve the severe pain.
KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN
1 Article; 2,675 Posts
Oh, where do I start...
One time, I and my pals were having a picnic and coffee pot got accidentally overturned over one guy's leg. He yelled bloody murder, and then another guy just pulled his pants down, yelling in his turn for girls to close eyes... he peed all over the burn. Of course, it didn't make things any better but the guy #2 was steadily sure that fresh urine is the best remedy for burns.
Burn 2 degree on 1 y/o baby "treated" by mixture of garlic and vegetable oil so that it wouldn't get infected. Poor baby.
20+ y/o hunter got small 3 degree while out in the wilderness. Literally like a half of square inch, it would heal with no problem even if treated with traditional Russian folk medicine of vodka and nothing else. Unfortunately, the poor guy heard somewhere that the best thing to prevent infection was a dog's saliva. When his dog, being apparently more intelligent than its owner, refused to lick the burn, the guy applied some partially rotten meat over it so that the dog would be fooled into taking food. That worked, sort of. Sepsis, above the elbow and then "quarter-off" amputation, he didn't make it.
Grease, grease, grease. Only one question was what kind is right but no doubts that the more of it, the better. Imagine taking off a dressing of many layers of cheesecloth (apparently used just before the event to weight out cottage cheese) lavishly saturated with butter (and pus) after sitting over weeping 2 degree for a week... C. Diff aroma is like Chanel #5 comparing with that, plus, of course, now I had to deal with sepsis, deep necrosis, skin transplant, etc. "But the cottage cheese is full of BENEFICIAL bacteria, isn't it???"
One time, the best treatment for prophylaxis of scarring was thought to be paraffine. It was applied on liquid form and let to harden, therefore pulling skin together like compressive dressings do. The idea was sound enough but the stuff had to be applied while about 60 to 70 C directly on burned skin, with no anesthesia, twice a day. What a torture it was... when I was recently offered the same thing here for purely cosmetic purposes, I almost freaked out, and not because of price.