Children seem particularly susceptible to getting burns simply because they don’t understand the risks around them. Anything from a sunburn to kids playing with matches can lead to significant burns with life-threatening infections.
A board-certified plastic surgeon who works with burn victims, Dr. Farah Naz Khan told Mom.com that many burn situations require medical attention.
“As a general rule, burns of the face, eyes, ears, feet, hands, joints, or groin area should definitely be referred for medical attention,” she said. “Patients with any underlying medical conditions or those suffering from chemical/high-voltage electrical burns and burns with suspected inhalation injury should also be referred to burn centers.”
What to do if your child gets burned
What not to do if your child gets burned
When it comes to burns, there seems to be a lot of old wives’ tales floating around. We heard a ton of them when we were in class, such as putting mayonnaise or butter on the burn. This is common with sunburns. If you go back to the idea of a steak resting, putting these items on the burn really only starts a marinating process. Don’t put anything other than cool, fresh water on the burn and antibiotic ointment. You can use aloe or burn creams for first-degree burns to soothe the area, but this isn’t appropriate for anything other than a first-degree burn.
Remember that anything you put on a burn will need to be cleaned out if the burn is getting infected. This is not just painful but can also increase the chance of infection.
Most of the time, burns aren’t serious. If a burn is only minor, it may become something your child will always remember. Los Angeles mom Robyn Reynolds recalled when her daughter got burned by a candle. “It taught her a lesson and she never went near another candle again,” she told Mom.com. Of course, it’s best to keep your kids away from dangers but as most parents know, you can’t control everything.
