What To Do If You Have A Bad Burn: A Guide

Most of us have experienced some type of burn, often from accidentally touching something like a hot plate. And while these burns can feel very painful at first, our instinct is usually to yank our hand away, which means that the burn won’t be too bad.

However, there are many cases in which people suffer from serious burns. While we hope this never happens to you or anyone you love, it’s important to know how to react in a situation like this, which is why this post will be guiding you through what you can do in the case of a bad burn.

Determine the cause of the burn

It’s important to stay calm if you have been burned. While your first instinct will be to immediately find some kind of relief, you need to assess the situation first.

Burns can be caused by all types of things. If, for example, there is a small fire that caused your burn, you should try to put it out before attending to the injury, otherwise, it could worsen and cause even more damage.

If someone else was responsible for your burn, you should also take note of this in case you want to hire a burn injury lawyer to help you file a lawsuit against the person.

Find immediate relief

You should get to a hospital as soon as possible, but in the meantime, try to find some immediate relief.

You probably won’t be able to properly treat the burn, but you can try to at least minimize the discomfort you feel.

There are many home remedies for soothing burns, such as running the affected area under cool water or applying aloe vera or honey as a medicine. However, it is best to consult with your doctor via the phone before doing any of these things.

Seek medical attention

As mentioned, it’s important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. If you can, try to get an appointment with your family doctor, as they will likely have your medical history and other important details on file, which may mean you can receive treatment sooner.

However, if that isn’t possible, go to any doctor or hospital that can help. Even if your burn doesn’t feel too severe, you should seek professional help since they can help to prevent infection and scarring.

Rest and recover

Recovering from a burn can be a serious process. With less severe burns, it can simply mean taking a few days off and not using the affected area, so that it has time to heal.

More serious burns, however, could require drastic measures such as surgery. Your burn could also be coupled with other injuries that may require physiotherapy.

You need to be sure to do everything your doctor tells you to help you recover from the burn as quickly and effectively as possible, but you should also try to prioritize resting – your body has been through a lot, so you need to give it time to heal from the trauma.