Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

Yesterday I burned 3 of my fingers moving a large pot of boiling stock. I had to keep it in cold water a long time it was really painful. Anyway I think the skin on the top of my fingers is kind of dead, it's red and white with a lot of very small blisters and when something brushes my skin to hard it kind of shifts around and gets little splits in it. I was thinking maybe I need to get some kind of bandage to protect it so it doesn't get infected?? It's way to big of an area for a bandaid so I am out of my depth here :giggle I am googling and it says don't use anything fluffy or linty so what would you use? Should I put some kind of ointment or something on it too?

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

sterile 4x4 to cover the area, then bandage tape or self-adhesive wrap (a la ace bandage) wrapped around to hold in place.....but you might want to get that checked - hard to tell from your description if it might be 3rd degree, which if it is 3rd degree it needs medical attention. :(

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

3rd degree burn you wouldn't be able o feel the area due o the nerves being dead, but it does sound like a good 2 nd degree burn.

I'd use antibiotic ointment until you can get either aloe, calendula cream or noxema (has silver sulfate in it). Keep the area moist with one of those ointments. Use 4x4 pads like suggested above and/or a gauze wrap. You can cut a sock up to put over your hand to hold the bandages in place.

:hugheart burns stink. We've dealt with hospitalization worthy burns in our home. No fun.

Also, (per our plastic surgeon we worked with) don't pop the blisters. Let them pop on their own. If they pop it'll open he area up for infection.

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

Generally, they use triple antibiotic ointment for hands. If you want something stronger, you can go to your doctor or Urgent Care for a prescription for Silvadene. You want to use the ointment several times a day, keeping it as sterile as possible. then, as PP said, cover with sterile guaze and tape the edges. Third degree burns usually need at least debridment and possibly skin grafts over them to heal properly.

If they aren't third degree, it's a matter of keeping them moist but not infected for healing.

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

Thanks, I asked me DH to pick me up some guaze we don't have anything like that. It does not seem like they should be third degree burns, hot liquid for a few seconds followed by a long time cool water - seems pretty minor and common right? It hurt really bad for about 3 hours and I kept it in cool water because I absolutely could not stand it out of the water for more then a minute but then it quit hurting entirely (still doesn't). The only thing that's concerning me is how strange the skin looks and feels in the area. There is only a few blisters and there are very small so hopefully it's just a second degree burn, I feel kind of stupid going to the doctor for something like this.

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

Yeah, I'd be more worried if it didn't hurt :wink

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

So since it hurt at first it's probably okay right?

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

There is this ointment, awkwardly called Burn Stuff. It is a GOD SEND. It's pricey, but so worth it. It works to supply adequate moisture, keep infection away, and it really takes the sting out of burns. I full on put my palm on my moms hot glass top stove and two days later I couldn't even tell. It is a must have for your new first aid kit. :yes

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

:yes and the blisters are a good sign too that it's just a 2nd degree burn.

FWIW, I wouldn't go into the doctor for that unless I started to notice signs of infection....based on what you've told us about it.

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

Splash burns have a tendency to be very deep burns in the center with a very small edging to them. That said, I've only ever had third degree burns in our house once. I knew instantly when I looked at the grease splatter burns on E's arm that they were third degree. Her skin was peeling off and the edges were white.

I've looked at a lot of varied second degree burns before and wondered where the line to realize I was handling third degree and thus beyond my ability to manage it would lie. However, the day I looked at third degree, I didn't have to ask that question. It was an instant knowledge. There is a huge visual difference with third degree burns that doesn't exist in first and second degree burns at all, a shocking visual difference.

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

FWIW I burned two of my fingers last week pushing an oven rack back in....barehanded :doh :bag

I ran them under cold water immediately and then held onto ice packs for the rest of the day. They got white blisters that turned dry-ish looking and then, with regular use of my fingers (they were right at the top joint) started to crack on their own. They were EXTREMELY painful every time they opened up and I've really struggled with keeping them dry as it was my RIGHT hand and I'm RIGHT handed and have to cook everything from scratch and have no dishwasher (except for myself). this happened 8 days ago. One of the burns is finally healed over and the other is just about (I can see just the slightest amount of red skin underneath still. I imagine by the end of the weekend things should be mostly healed over.

:hug

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

My herbalist doula friend swears by Manuka honey or even regular good quality honey for thngs like that - takes care of disinfectation and facilitates healing while keeping it moist gauze woud be good.......

Re: Burn First Aid Q (kinda gross)
 

We've had a few burns around here this winter, getting used to heating with a wood stove.

Emu Oil is AMAZING! Totally soothes and heals (quickly!) burns. I bought mine at the HFS. I highly recommend it.