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The easiest way to soothe burn injuries is by running cool water over it. © Shutterstock
Diwali, often referred to as the festival of lights, can turn dark without proper precautions. Placing your hand on a hot pan or spilling hot coffee on yourself, while are common incidents of accidental burns. But chances of burn increases during Diwali. Surrounded by firecrackers and diyas, you may have to face severe consequences if you make even a small mistake. A burn refers to the condition when top layer of skin cells gets destroyed when exposed to external heat. It causes pain, irritation and reddening of the epidermis (outer layer of the skin).
Before you rush your kid to the emergency or pop open your own first aid kit, it is important that you understand what type of burn it is. Different types of burns are categorised depending on the severity of their nature.
First degree burn is considered the least severe and super-easy to treat, as this kind of burn affects only the outer layer of the skin. These burns mostly cause swelling, redness and mild pain. Second-degree burns affect the deeper skin tissues, and usually causes blisters and white skin. Depth of the burns depends on the temperature of the heat and the amount of time your body was exposed to it. Third degree burns affect every layer of the skin and fourth moves ahead from skin towards joints and bones. Third and fourth degree burns cannot be treated at home.
Aim of home remedies is to treat pain and inflammation that is caused by first and second-degree burns. The body can heal mild burn can heal itself. It can take up to 2-3 weeks.
The easiest way to soothe burn injuries is by running cool water over it. This will ease the pain, removes heat, and lower the temperature of the injured tissue. Cool water prevents further injury to the skin tissues and can reduce skin inflammation in less than 5 minutes.
Clean your skin with a cold and clean cloth. Cold compression helps relieve pain and swelling. In just 5 minutes, you will see your swelling, redness and pain decrease. But don't you depend a lot on it as cold compression for more than 15 minutes is linked to burn-related skin irritation.
According to a study published in Science Direct Journal, aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties, which is effective in treating first and second-degree burns. Aloe vera also prevents infection and stops the growth of bacteria in the injury. You can direct apply a gel of aloe vera over the infected area.
The natural sweetener has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties, which, when applied on the affected skin, can ease pain and chances of swelling.
According to a research conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, tea bags contain tannic acid, which can cool down the heat and provide relief burn-related pain. After cleaning the skin with cool water, apply wet tea bags over the injury.