Burns

Whether your little one washes up under a too-hot faucet or tips over your favorite coffee cup, burns are a potential hazard in every home. In fact, burns, especially scalds from hot water and liquids, are some of the most common childhood accidents. Babies and young children may be more susceptible than adults are - they're curious, small, and have sensitive skin that needs extra protection.

Although some minor burns aren't cause for concern and can be safely treated at home, other more serious burns require medical care. But, many times, burns can be prevented by taking some simple precautions to make your home more safe.

 

Common Causes
 

The first step in helping to prevent your child from being burned is to understand the common causes of burns in kids:

- scalds, the number-one culprit (from steam, hot bathwater, tipped-over coffee cups, cooking fluids, etc.)

- contact with flames or hot objects (from the stove, fireplace, curling iron, etc.)

- chemical burns (from swallowing things like drain cleaner or watch batteries or spilling chemicals, such as bleach, onto the skin)

- electrical burns (from biting on electrical cords or sticking fingers or objects in electrical outlets, etc.)

- overexposure to the sun

 

Types of Burns
 

*Burns are often categorized as first-, second-, or third-degree burns, depending on how badly the skin is damaged. Any of the injuries above can cause any type of burn. But both the type of burn and its cause will determine how the burn is treated. All burns should be treated quickly to reduce the temperature of the burned area and reduce damage to the skin and underlying tissue (if the burn is severe).

First-degree burns, the mildest of the three, are limited to the top layer of skin.

 

-Signs and symptoms: These burns produce redness, pain, minor swelling, but no blistering. The skin often turns white you press on the burned area.

 

- Healing time: Healing time is about 3 to 6 days; the superficial skin layer over the burn may peel off in 1 or 2 days.

Second-degree burns are more serious and involve the skin layers beneath the top layer.

 

-Signs and symptoms: These burns produce blisters, severe pain, and redness. The skin can appear blotchy white to cherry red.

 

- Healing time: Healing time varies depending on the severity of the burn.

Third-degree burns are the most serious type of burn and involve all the layers of the skin and underlying tissue.

 

- Signs and symptoms: The remaining surface can look waxy, leathery, or charred. There may be little or no pain at first because of nerve damage.

 

-Healing time: Healing time depends on the severity of the burn. Deep second- and third-degree burns (called full-thickness burns) will likely need to be treated with skin grafts, in which healthy skin is taken from another part of the body and surgically placed over the burn wound to help the area heal.

 

What to Do

 

Seek Medical Help Immediately If:

 

-You think your child has a second- or third-degree burn.

-The burned area is large, even if it seems like a minor burn. For any burn that appears to cover more than 15% to 20% of the body, call for medical assistance. And don't use wet compresses because they can cause the child's body temperature to drop. Instead, cover the area with a clean, soft cloth or towel.

-The burn comes from a fire, an electrical wire or socket, or chemicals.

-The burn is on the face, scalp, hands, joint surfaces, or genitals.

-The burn looks infected (with swelling, pus, increasing redness, or red streaking of the skin near the wound).

 

For First-Degree Burns:

 

- Remove clothing from the burned area immediately.

- Run cool (not cold) water over the burned area (if water isn't available, any cold, drinkable fluid can be used) or hold a clean, cold compress on the burn until pain subsides (do not use ice, as it may cause the burn to take longer to heal).

- Do not apply butter, grease, powder, or any other remedies to the burn, as these increase the risk of infection.

- If the burned area is small, loosely cover it with a sterile gauze pad or bandage.

- Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain.

- If the area affected is small (the size of a quarter or smaller), keep the area clean and continue to use cool compresses and a loose dressing over the next 24 hours. You can also apply antibiotic cream two to three times a day, although this isn't absolutely necessary.

 

For Second- and Third-Degree Burns:

 

- Seek emergency medical care, then follow these steps until medical personnel arrive:

- Keep your child lying down with the burned area elevated.

- Follow the instructions for first-degree burns.

- Remove all jewelry and clothing from around the burn (in case there's any swelling after the injury), except for clothing that's stuck to the skin. If you're having difficulty removing clothing, you may need to cut it off or wait until medical assistance arrives.

- Do not break any blisters.

- Put wet, sterile bandages on the burned area until help arrives.

 

For Flame Burns:

 

- Extinguish the flames by having your child roll on the ground.

- Cover him or her with a blanket or jacket.

- Remove smoldering clothing and any jewelry around the burned area.

- Call for medical assistance, then follow instructions for second- and third-degree burns.

 

For Electrical and Chemical Burns:

 

- Flush the burned area with lots of running water for 5 minutes or more. If the burned area is large, use a tub, shower, buckets of water, or a garden hose.

- Do not remove any of your child's clothing before you've begun flushing the burn with water. As you continue flushing the burn, you can then remove clothing from the burned area.

- If the burned area is small, flush for another 10 to 20 minutes, apply a sterile gauze pad or bandage, and call your child's doctor.

- Chemical burns to the mouth or eyes require immediate medical evaluation after thorough flushing with water.

 

Although both chemical and electrical burns might not always be visible, they can be serious because of potential damage to the child's internal organs. Symptoms may vary, depending on the type and severity of the burn and what caused it and may include abdominal pain.

 

If you think your child may have swallowed a chemical substance or an object that could be harmful (i.e., a watch battery) first call poison control and then the emergency department.