For the most part, nearly everyone has experienced a burn at least once in their lifetime; if you haven’t, it’s probably because you are very young. Most of us burnt our hands when we were kids experimenting with fire, stove, hot water, or other things to be kept away from our reach. Burns can be painful; if severe, they can leave us immobile for days.
A skin burn is an injury that occurs when your skin is exposed to heat or chemicals. The severity of a burn depends on the type of burn and how long it was exposed to heat or chemicals. For example, a sunburn is usually minor, whereas third-degree burns are more severe and can lead to serious complications if not treated promptly.
Types of burns and what you can do to relieve the pain:
First-degree burns: These burns aren’t deep enough to damage the underlying tissues but can cause pain, redness, and swelling. First-degree burns often heal without treatment because they don’t go below the top layer of skin (epidermis).
Second-degree burns: These burns affect both layers of skin (epidermis and dermis) and cause blistering or “peeling” skin. Second-degree burns may require medical care as they can lead to infection in deeper layers of the skin (dermis).
Third-degree burns: These severe types of wounds expose fat layers beneath the skin’s surface and usually require surgical treatment.
What are the four types of burns?
First-degree burns affect only the outermost layer of skin, called the epidermis. These burns generally don’t cause pain or swelling and may not turn red for a few hours afterward.
Second-degree burns extend deeper into the dermis, the second layer of skin below the epidermis. These burns cause blisters and may make your skin appear white or gray in color. They’ll also hurt more than first-degree burns, but they’re not as serious as other burns.
Third-degree burns go all the way through all layers of skin to muscle tissue below it — in other words, they destroy them all. They can cause permanent damage if caught early enough and usually require intensive care at a hospital with specialized burn units. If a third-degree burn is left untreated, it can increase your chances of developing blood clots, infections, and other complications that could lead to death if not treated quickly enough. This level of burn has multiple healing burn stages and takes a significant period of time to heal fully.
Fourth-degree burns also affect all layers of skin but may also damage underlying tissues such as muscles, nerves, tendons, and blood vessels (arteries and veins). If you have experienced such an injury, you should see a doctor immediately – do not wait for it to heal!
Is Vaseline Good for Burns?
It is a common misconception that Vaseline is good for burns. This is not true, as it can make the burn worse. Vaseline is a petroleum jelly product that acts as a lubricant and sealant to help prevent infection in minor cuts and scrapes – not burns. However, it shouldn’t be used on large burns because it contains no active ingredients that treat infections or help with healing. Petroleum jelly may make it harder for your body to heal since it traps heat in the area where it’s applied rather than letting it escape from the skin surface, like other medicines do when applied directly to a wound site.
How do I heal a burn quickly?
The best way to treat a burn is to get medical attention as soon as possible. If you can’t get medical help immediately, put the injured area under cool running water for at least 15 minutes. Don’t use ice or snow; both can cause more damage and delay healing.
How do you tell what degree a burn is?
Burns are injuries to the skin caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, or radiation. The severity of a burn depends on the extent of damage to the skin and underlying tissues.
All types of burns are classified according to their depth. The depth of the burn is determined by how much of the skin’s surface layer, called the epidermis, was damaged. The more epidermis that is damaged, the more severe the burn.
Depending on their depth and size, Burns can be mild, moderate, or severe. A mild burn may be just redness with no blisters or swelling; a moderate burn may have some blistering or swelling, and a severe burn may have large areas of blisters that look white or yellowish.
What does a 2nd-degree burn look like?
Second-degree burns can be very serious and may result in permanent scarring. Of significant concern is a facial burn scar. They often require emergency medical treatment. Second-degree burns are typically red, swollen, and painful. They’re also painful to the touch, even after the trauma that caused them has been removed. A 2nd-degree burn is a serious type of burn. It affects the second layer of skin and can cause blisters, swelling, and severe discomfort.
The skin in this area is more fragile than in other areas because it has fewer oil glands and sweat glands. Second-degree burns can be extremely painful and may take several weeks to heal completely.
Burns of all types will tend to be more severe in people with darker skin tones because they have more melanin. As you might expect, people with darker skin tones are also more susceptible to developing third-degree burns than those with lighter skin tones.
How do you know if a burn is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-degree?
Burns are an injury to the skin by heat, contact with a hot liquid or steam, or contact with chemicals. They can be superficial (only affecting the top layer of skin) or deep (reaching the second layer).
Burns are classified according to the depth of damage to the skin and the extent of injury:
Superficial (1st-degree) burns affect only the outermost layer of skin (epidermis) and may cause redness, pain, swelling, and blisters.
Deep (2nd-degree) burns penetrate through both layers of skin, causing more severe pain and swelling. Blisters may also form between these two layers if they break open.
Full-thickness (3rd-degree) burns may cause extensive damage to underlying muscle and tissue, resulting in significant scarring if not treated properly.
What does a 1st Degree Burn look like?
First-degree burns are the mildest and are characterized by redness, pain, and swelling. The skin is not damaged deep enough to cause blisters or leave permanent marks. In most cases, first-degree burns will heal within a few days.
Do burns heal faster, covered or uncovered?
The best way to speed up the heal(ing) a burn scar process is by keeping the burned area clean and covered with sterile bandages. Bandages should be checked every 24 hours and replaced minimally every 48 hours. The bandages must also be applied loosely without putting pressure on the burns. First-degree burn treatment can easily be managed at home if monitored carefully. Likewise, severe sunburn treatment and third-degree burn treatment also require medical intervention to be treated safely and properly and minimize risks of infection. First-degree burn treatment and sunburn treatment can be managed at home with appropriate home care as long as there is no blistering.
A burn can take several days to heal. Sometimes, however, the skin will still be red for up to two weeks after the initial injury. If your skin isn’t getting better within three days of being burned, see a doctor immediately.
Here are some other things that can help your skin heal faster:
- Don’t pick at scabs or blisters. This could cause additional damage and delay healing time.
- Apply cool compresses on your burned area to relieve pain and swelling (a bag of frozen vegetables works well). Don’t apply ice directly on your skin because it may cause frostbite instead of cooling off the burn. Instead, wrap wet gauze around an ice pack or put ice cubes in a plastic bag before applying it to your skin — this will keep the heat from escaping while still delivering cold therapy.
- Don’t take aspirin or ibuprofen until 24 hours after being burned because these drugs slow blood clotting.
Which ointment is best for burns?
For burns, you should use aloe vera gel or lotion. If the burn is small, you can apply aloe vera gel or lotion to relieve pain and help the skin heal faster. After applying aloe vera gel or lotion, cover the area with gauze or an adhesive bandage if needed. If you have an open wound or if blisters form after a burn, see a doctor right away because these may be signs of serious injury requiring medical attention. This works best for minor burn treatment such as minor sunburn, razor burn treatment, rope burn treatment, and rug burn treatment.
Burn ointments, such as Silvadene cream or silver sulfadiazine cream (Silvadene), may be prescribed by your doctor if you have a second or third-degree burn that covers a large area of your body (which includes blisters) or if there is concern about infection because of an open wound or because of poor circulation to the affected area (such as with frostbite). These medicines are available without a prescription from most pharmacies but should not be given to children under 12 years old without first talking with their doctor.
Second-degree burn treatment should be directed and monitored by a medical professional.
How long does skin burn last?
A burn can be a serious injury that takes time to heal. How long it takes for the wound to heal depends on the severity of the burn, but it usually takes about two weeks for non-blistering burns and six weeks for blisters.
Should I put ice on a burn?
The proper treatment for a burn depends on how severe the injury is. In general, you should:
- Cool the burn with cool water or a clean, wet cloth. Do not put ice directly on the skin.
- Cover the burn loosely with a sterile gauze bandage to keep it clean and prevent infection. If possible, wrap an elastic bandage around it to help protect against swelling.
- Do not pop blisters or pick at scabs. These actions will increase your risk of infection.
- See your doctor if the burn area becomes red, swollen, painful, or oozing pus after 24 hours; if you have any questions about how to treat a minor burn on your own; if the burned area does not heal within three days; or if you have other symptoms such as fever, chills or fatigue that does not go away after two days.
What do 1st and 2nd-degree burns look like?
First-degree burns are red and painful but aren’t blistered or blistering (no second-degree burn). They should start healing on their own after about three days.
Second-degree burns cause redness and swelling that lasts longer than a week. In addition, Second-degree burns also have blisters that may come to a head before breaking open and draining fluid — this is called a purulent exudate. The skin will be tender for weeks after healing begins.
When should I go to the doctor for a burn?
Every home should have supplies for first aid for burns in their home and vehicles. Burns can happen anytime, and it is best to be prepared. If you have any of these symptoms after getting burned, see your doctor right away:
- If your wound has become infected, your doctor should drain these blisters immediately if they haven’t already broken on their own.
- You have pain that doesn’t go away after applying cold compresses for 20 minutes (or longer if needed). If you still have pain after applying cold compresses for 20 minutes, call your doctor because this could indicate deeper tissue damage beyond what’s visible outside.
- The burn covers more than one-quarter of your body (including your face, hands, and feet) or if it covers an area greater than 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter.
- The burn is on your face, hands, or feet. A face sunburn treatment should be taken very seriously.
- You have a history of heart disease or diabetes mellitus.
- You are elderly.
- You have another serious injury, such as a fracture or concussion, along with the burn injury.
How long does a burn take to heal?
The time it takes for a burn to heal depends on the size and depth of the burn, as well as your overall health. A superficial (first-degree) burn will usually heal within one or two weeks. Second-degree burns may take up to three weeks, and third-degree burns can take months or years to heal completely.
If you have a serious burn that requires hospitalization, your doctor will determine when you will be discharged and what follow-up is necessary. The doctors will keep an eye on your burn changes for severe burns and establish medical protocols for your specific situation. It is difficult to answer the healing time for severe burns. It can vary significantly based on each person’s specific circumstances.
Considering Vitastem Ultra for Burn Relief
Vitastem Ultra can help provide significant relief for the redness and pain caused by burns quickly! It provides relief and healing for first, second, and third-degree burns, works 10x faster than other products (from 5 to 7 days, or more, if ever at all). Bacitracin, the ingredient which helps quickly kill all harmful bacteria in the application area.
Normal conditions can harbor thousands of bacteria types in the human body. However, they are mostly harmless and may cause tissue damage. Vitastem Ultra, which has a dual carrier action, quickly delivers the active ingredient deep into injury tissue to restore damaged and weakened tissues.
Vitastem also contains ingredients that are used to promote blood flow to tissues recovering from surgery trauma. The same proprietary formula can also be used in post op to plastic surgery and helps promote scarring reduction and will accelerate healing.
By combining a highly specialized blend of ingredients, Vitastem has created the world’s most advanced topical drug delivery systems that allows the medicine to be delivered at 10x the strength and depth then other products on the market today.
This proprietary formula developed by parent company ViaDerma stimulates skin cells to make them more permeable, allowing more medicine to be absorbed into the cells. In addition to this, Vitastem quickly kills bacteria and makes them incapable of adapting and developing resistance. Patients that have used Vitastem to treat their burns have seen rapid results from this highly concentrated and fast delivery of medicine to the area in need.
Vitastem Ultra kills bacteria and infuses skin cells with vitamin D3 or vitamin C (ascorbic acids). The skin burn is left fully treated and rejuvenated. If you or a loved one is suffering from a first to third-degree burn, you should ask your physician about using Vitastem Ultra to treat and heal your burn so you can get back to living your life fully, much sooner.
