What Do You Know About Burns?

To prevent scalds from hot water, check your water heater setting to see that it is set at 120 degrees, the recommended temperature. At that temperature, it takes 5 minutes for a serious burn to occur, according to the American Burn Association (ABA). At higher temperatures, burns occur more quickly: At 140 degrees, for instance, it takes only 5 seconds for a serious burn to occur. And at 160 to 180 degrees—the temperature at which coffee and tea are served—the burn can be instantaneous. Infants, young children, and older adults are more vulnerable to burns because their skin is thinner.

Your skin protects your body from infection, stabilizes your body temperature, and prevents fluid loss. Your body is highly vulnerable when the skin is injured or lost.

Men are twice as likely to be burned as women. In part, this is because men more often work with flammable substances like gasoline. Most gasoline-related burns and deaths occur in males under age 45. And most of these accidents occur in the summer months, when people are outdoors doing yard work, farming, or boating, according to the ABA.

A first-degree, or superficial, burn, although painful, causes only minor skin damage, usually heals in 3 to 5 days, and leaves no scar. Skin with a first-degree (superficial) burn is dry with no blisters. Sunburn or a minor scald is an example of a first-degree (superficial) burn. A second-degree, or partial thickness, burn is more painful; it damages but does not destroy the top two layers of skin, and heals in 10 to 21 days, according to the ABA. The skin is moist, wet and weepy, with blisters present. It is swollen and bright pink to cherry red in color. A third-degree, or full thickness, burn, the most severe, destroys all three layers of skin, and can involve fat, muscle, and bone. Skin grafts are required to treat this kind of burn. A person with a third-degree burn cannot feel anything in the burned area because the nerves are destroyed.

Swelling and blisters accompany second-degree (partial thickness) burns. Don't break the blisters and don't apply ice. Remove all clothing, jewelry, and metal around the burned area. Run cool, but not cold, water over the burned area for several minutes. Do not put ointment or cream on the burned area. Do not break any blisters that form unless the doctor tells you to do so. Cover the burned area with a clean, dry cloth.

Find the source of the current and shut it off, or remove it by using a material that won't conduct electricity, such as wood, plastic, or cardboard.

Chemical burns can be caused by exposure to household cleaners, lawn and garden products, fresh cement, or other chemicals, according to the ABA.

You should continue to flush the eye until medical help arrives.

Gasoline should never be used as a cleaning fluid or solvent, according to the ABA. It should never be stored indoors or used indoors or near heat or flame. When storing gasoline, use an approved safety container. When you refill the container, set the container on concrete or asphalt, NOT in a vehicle or in the bed of a pickup truck, because of the danger of static electricity. A static spark can ignite the gasoline fumes.