Care For Second Degree Burns

There are many ways to care for second degree burns, as long as they aren't too serious. Anyone can get a second degree burn, from many sources. Most commonly known ways are the sun, burning you hand or finger on a hot stove or oven, things like that. Electricity, and scalding water can easily cause second, even third degree burns as well. Before you treat the burn yourself, there are times when you should go see a doctor first, even if you think it may not be serious. Second degree burns go deeper into the skin, into the dermis.

While you can treat many smaller cases of second degree burns, here are the times when you should see a physician. If the burn area is two to three inches around or larger, you should see a doctor. Any place on your feet, hands, genital area, or you face, you should have looked at. If the pain doesn't subside within a half an hour or so, this could mean you may have a worse problem, like infection, so seeing a healthcare professional is recommended.

The first thing to do when caring for second degree burns is soak the area in cool water, to stop the burn process. You should never run it under the faucet or use icy cold water, as this can damage the tissues even more. You will want to wash the area gently with an antiseptic, and loosely wrap the burn in gauze and leave it alone for at least a day. You can apply and Aloe Vera based cream at a topical to relieve sight pain, but you should never use butter, or cooking oil or anything like that because it could cause an infection.

You can however, use many herbal remedies when you care for second degree burns, and can apply them directly to the burn, under the bandages. You can use a tincture of St. John's Wort, applied externally, as an anti-inflammatory, as well as a poultice of Comfrey. The Aloe Vera plant is widely use for a variety of second degree burns, as mentioned before. Some people even grow the plant, a succulent cactus, not only because they are fairly easy to take care of, but the leaves can be cut and opened up, using the gel liquid directly on the burn.

When you care for second degree burns you should use common sense. Wash you have thoroughly before removing any bandages. When removing the bandage, if it sticks to the burn, soak for a few minutes in cool then remove it. If it looks okay, then reapply another gauze bandage. You want to use a gauze bandage because it allows the burn to breathe and heal faster. Once the blisters or redness has subsided then you can go without one. It usually takes two to three weeks to heal properly.

You can find more information on how to care for second degree burns, and how to tell if you have a more serious problem online and at your local healthcare provider. They may also recommend a special cream just to treat burns. Top