How to Treat Burns in Diabetics

Insulin is a hormone that helps your body’s cells convert sugar into energy. If your body does not make enough insulin or does not respond to the insulin it does produce, you have a condition called diabetes. Even when controlled with synthetic insulin injections, diabetes can be the cause of other health conditions, including decreased immunity 2. This means that injuries to a diabetic are more likely to become infected and develop other complications. A burn injury in a diabetic must be treated by a professional and every precaution should be taken to avoid infections.

Remove the source of the burn. Run cool water over the burn injury for about fifteen to twenty minutes to relieve some of the burning sensation and flush out any irritants or pathogens in the burn wound. Use a clean cloth to pat the burn wound dry.

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Dampen a clean folded cloth to make a cool compress. Apply the cool compress to the burn injury to relieve some of the pain associated with a burn injury. Avoid pressing down too hard on the burn wound because too much pressure can cause pain or damage to the burn wound. If you have burn cream or antibiotic ointment available, you can use it keep the wound properly cleaned and moistened.

Loosely bandage the burn wound as soon as possible with a sterile gauze bandage or at least a clean cloth 2. This will prevent irritants or pathogens from working their way inside the burn wound and causing infection. The gauze bandage will also prevent irritation from rubbing.

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See a doctor immediately. Mild or small burns can usually be treated at home; however, diabetics are more likely to develop infections from wounds so they must be treated professionally. A doctor can make sure that the burn wound has been properly cleaned and bandaged.

Tips

Unless the burn is severe, taking an over-the-counter pain reliever should take care of any pain you may experience from the burn injury. If the pain is severe, talk to your doctor. He can prescribe stronger painkillers if he deems them necessary.

Warnings

Do not allow anyone to blow on your burn. There are other ways to cool the burning sensation and the microbes in a person’s breath can cause infection.