FOCUS ON BURNS
So why are we focusing on burn injury and treatment in June, when you can get burned just about any time? Well we needed a focus for the month and June is the beginning of summer and all of the beaches, waterparks and outdoor venues of all kinds open about now.
Being outdoors means being subject to sun burn and yes there is first aid for sunburns. Very much like first aid for any minor burn because that’s what sun burn is, a minor burn. Of course there are times when sun burns can be serious 2nd degree burns complete with blisters and oozing. Like any other burn time is the key to effective treatment.
Treating burns as soon as possible is very important because the first thing you want to do is to stop the “burn progression” so the burn doesn’t continue to worsen and this is an important point. Your sunburn doesn’t stop burning because you move in to the shade any more than a burn from contact with a hot object stop when you pull your hand back a yell ouch! The pain and the damage a burn can do will continue after you get away from the heat source so the sooner you treat it the better. Those of you who have ever tried to do a medium rare roast beef know you take the roast out of the oven when the temperature is 160 degrees because it’s going to continue to cook after you remove it from the oven and that beautiful medium rare can go quickly to medium.
The best way to treat a burn injury is to cool the burn. If it’s a minor burn the best way to accomplish this is to apply large amounts of cold water. If you are at home or somewhere where you have access to cold water get the burn in there and keep it there while it cools. This can take time but is very effective. That doesn’t mean to get back in the pool either.
If you are going to be somewhere where water is not easily accessible then we highly recommend that you take some hydrogel burn products with you wherever you go this summer where there are the potential for burns of any kind. That is the real beauty of hydro gels is that they are effective on any size, type or degree of burn. You can put hydro gels directly on to a burn and it will do the work the cold water does and act as a heat transfer literally pulling the heat out of the burn. So whether it’s sun that burns you or the camp stove you’ll be well prepared with a hydro gel.
Our go to hydrogel is Cool Blaze. Cool Blaze is a leader in the hydro gel industry and features a clear hydro gel with soothing aloe. Other hydro gels are usually opaque, white and have a strong odor so we believe your go to hydro gel should be Cool Blaze too. Cool Blaze features a complete line of burn gels and sterile burn dressings of various sizes.