Burn wounds are one of the most common household injuries in South Africa. To burn is not just to feel the sensation of burning, but it also cause serious damage to your skin that may cause your skin cells to die.
Burn wounds are also more common in winter time due to everybody trying to stay warm by means of different strategies. It is a burning desire for all medical staff to inform the public about burn wounds. It can take a long time to heal and need immediate medical care to prevent any other complications.
You can get burns on your body, but also inside of your body and lungs when you inhale smoke, hot air or any toxic gasses.
There are 4 different types of burn wounds:
•Heat (steam, fire or warm liquids)
•Electricity
•The sun
•Chemicals
Burns are classified into 4 different degrees and have different methods of treatment. Do not ever use ice or butter when you have burned yourself. There is no medical proof that it is going to work and you can cause more damage.
Never apply cotton wool to the area, because the wool fibres can get stuck in the wound and increase the risk for infection.
•First degree: Non blistered, red, sensitive and damp skin. A light fever may be present with a headache. The skin will start to peel when it heals. Most common with sunburns. First degree burns are usually treated with homecare. Soak the area in cool water for 5-10 minutes. Apply Aftersun with Aloe Vera gel or cream to soothe the skin. The burn will heal in +/- 7 days without any scarring.
•Second degree: The skin is damaged. Blisters are present with thickening of the skin. The pain is worse and the skin is much redder than a first degree burn. Treatments for a mild second degree burn include running the skin under cool water for 15 minutes, taking pain medication and applying antibiotic cream to blisters. Seek emergency medical treatment if the burn affects a widespread area, such as face, hands, buttocks, groin and feet. It takes approximately two to three weeks to heal without any scarring, but often with pigment changes to the skin.
•Third degree: The skin has a lot of deep damage. It has a leathery appearance that is bright red, white or black. You may experience that you cannot feel any pain at all and don’t have any blisters. This is because the nerves are also burned.
•Fourth degree: Includes all of the symptoms of third degree burns, but you can also see the ligaments, tendons and the bones.
Third and fourth degree burns usually need surgery to prevent scarring and shortening of muscles and skin. It also needs a skin graft to fix the damage. Skin grafting takes healthy skin from another area of the body and moves it to the site of the burned skin. Never attempt to treat your own third or fourth degree burn wound.
Physiotherapists can help you inside the hospital or as an outpatient when you had a burn wound, by means of stretches of the muscles and skin around a joint in the area of the burn to prevent shortening of the muscles/skin, strengthening of underlying muscles in the area of burn, lung and breathing exercises with burn wounds on the inside and mobilisation to help keep your fitness level.
In the event of a burn wound, go to your nearest hospital’s casualties and after you’ve been helped by a doctor, then you can go to your hospital of choice. For any enquiries, call Annelize at 056 816 2154.
