How to Treat First Degree Burns

Written by Contributor

27 July, 2017

A first degree burn results from spending a little too much time in the sun. Or, if you have been boiling water and the steam happens to find it's way to your skin making it red and causing a burning sensation, that's a first degree burn. Here are a few tips on making that burn feel a whole lot better.

Run that burn under cold water as fast as you can. Let the cold water run on it for no less than five minutes. We need to cool it down quickly so the burn stops immediately.

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Take a couple of Ibuprofen pills to ease the pain and swelling. Keep in mind that if the burn is very small there is no need for this step. Proceed with this step only if it is a large amount of skin that has been burned.

Gently rub some petroleum jelly on the burned area. Try not to rub to much; you do not want to irritate the area anymore than what you have already. The whole purpose of putting the petroleum jelly on your skin is to give back some of the moisture that you have lost so quickly by burning it.

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Wrap the burn in light gauze and tape loosely. Do not go crazy and wrap the burn to the extent that you cannot move your body normally. One time around with the gauze is all that is needed. This is just to keep germs away from your wound because the burned skin is vulnerable and can become infected a lot easier than other skin.

Tips

If you think that the burn is worse than a first degree, immediately see your physician. If you prefer, you can use burn ointment instead of petroleum jelly depending on what you have in your house.