The very first step is to stop the heat. Do this by submerging the burned area in cold water as fast as you can. If it is on a part of the body that you cannot submerge, then immediately pour cold water over the area several times or rinse the area under a faucet or shower. Remove any clothing that is covering the area, then poor some more water onto the burn. Be careful not to pull a still-hot shirt over the head as this may burn the face. Getting cold water onto the area as fast as possible is the single most important factor in minimizing the burn damage.
Do not use ice. This can cause cold damage to the skin, which may make the burn worse.
The next step is to continue the cold water for at least 20 minutes. Submerging the burn is best, but if you cannot, then either run it under cold water or apply cold water-soaked washcloths repeatedly.
Do not put any butter, grease, or powder on the burn.
AFTER THE INITIAL 20 MINUTES OF COLD WATER, WHAT DO I DO NEXT?
Pain relief. Give yourself a dose of ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). This will both help the pain and decrease the inflammation.
Assess the burn. There are several degrees of burn.
First degree burns. This is simply redness, with no blistering. This type of burn never leaves a scar if properly treated.
Second degree burns. This is redness with blistering of the skin and is usually the most painful type on burn. With proper treatment, this type of burn almost never leaves a scar. NEVER pop the blisters.
Third degree burns. This occurs when many layers of skin are actually burned away. Usually there is no blister because all the top layers of skin are gone. This burn usually does leave a scar, even with proper treatment.
Facial burns. These almost always warrant a call to your doctor right away, unless it involves a very small area, such as the size of a quarter or smaller.
First degree burns. For this type of burn, you do not need any prescription cream. You also do not need to use an antibiotic cream. One of the best treatments is aloe vera. Buy a bottle of green 100% aloe gel and apply several times a day. Be sure to buy 100% aloe. Some bottles will say, "made with pure aloe", but only contain 10% aloe. Read the ingredients. It should basically only say aloe. You can also use the juice from the leaf of an aloe plant if you have one.
Second degree burns. Treating this type of burn is more complex. You should check with your doctor about how to treat your second-degree burns. Here are some general guidelines that we recommend. Twice a day do the following:
Rinse the area with comfortable temperature water. Use a sink or bathtub faucet. The stream of water will remove germs, dead skin, and debris.
Air dry.
Apply prescription burn cream called Silvadene (the generic equivalent is silver sulfadiazine). This is an antibiotic cream that also has excellent healing properties. This is an important part of burn treatment because it is very effective at preventing infection. You need to apply it aseptically; buy a package of sterile tongue depressors to use. Use a lot of cream, as if you were icing a cake. When you change the bandage, if all the cream is worn off or soaked in, then you didn't use enough. Silvadene contains silver, and you will notice a dark "tarnish" discoloration on the bandages.
Cover with a bandage. Your doctor may recommend a specific type of bandage. Typically a non-stick pad is placed over the cream (one brand name is Telfa), than a gauze is taped or wrapped around the area.
Stretch. If the burn is on an area of the body that stretches or pulls a lot (such as the palm of the hand or palm side of the fingers), the burned skin is at risk of healing too tight. This is called a contracture. In this type of area, it is very important to stretch this skin around ten times a day for one minute.
Cut away the blister – after the blister pops on it's own. Your doctor may cut the dead blistered skin away too.