Many Australians will deal with first aid for burns at home long before they ever face a workplace emergency. The response in the first 20 minutes shapes how deeply a burn sets, how long it takes to heal, and whether it scars. A well-handled burn can heal as if the injury barely happened.
Types of Burns and Scalds and How to Identify Them at Home
First aid for burns depends on applying bandage to injured finger with first aid. Heat is the cause of most burns in the home, covering hot surfaces or flame, and scalds from hot liquids or steam. Depth is what determines how serious a burn is.
A superficial burn, also called first-degree, damages only the top layer of skin. The affected area appears red, dry, and painful, and may peel after a day or two. These can heal on their own within three to six days.
A partial thickness burn, also called second-degree, reaches the second layer of skin. The affected area appears red, swollen, and blistered, with clear or yellow fluid that may leak from the burned area, and pain is severe. Healing can take one to three weeks, and any burn larger than a 20-cent coin needs review by a doctor.
A full thickness burn, also called third-degree, destroys both skin layers and reaches the fat or muscle beneath. The burned area looks white, waxy, leathery, brown, or charred. Nerve endings in the burned area are destroyed, so pain at the centre is reduced or absent, though the partial thickness burn around its edge can still hurt. This is a serious burn that requires immediate medical attention by calling an ambulance.
First Aid For Burns
The treatment for first aid for burns is the same set of priorities regardless of how the injury happened.
Step 1: Stop the burning. Move the person away from the heat source. If their clothing is on fire, smother the flames with a blanket or have them roll on the ground. For an electrical burn, switch off the power source before you touch the person.
Step 2: Remove any jewellery, watches, and loosen clothing near the burned area. Burn injuries can swell, meaning jewellery can cut off circulation if it’s left on. However, do not remove anything that’s already burnt or stuck to the skin
Step 3: Hold the burned area under cool running water for at least 20 minutes. Do not use ice or iced water as this can cause further tissue damage.
Step 4: Cover the burn with a loose, non-stick dressing or plastic cling film. Wrap the dressing lengthways over the burn rather than around a limb. Never use cling film on a burn to the face.
Step 5: Keep the person warm and comfortable. Cool the burn, not the person. Cover their unburned skin with a blanket.
Step 6: Manage pain using paracetamol or ibuprofen at the recommended dose. Aspirin should not be given to anyone under 16. Elevate the burned limb where possible to reduce swelling and ease pain.
Step 7: See a doctor. Any burn larger than a 20-cent coin, deep, on the face, hands, feet, joints, or genitals, or caused by chemicals or electricity needs review by a doctor or hospital.
Do not apply creams, butter, oil, toothpaste, aloe vera straight from the plant, or ice. These can trap heat or contaminate the wound.
How to Care for a Minor Burn While It Heals
A healing burn needs ongoing care until the skin is intact again. Change the dressing daily, or sooner if it gets wet, dirty, or starts to come away from the burn. Do not pop any blisters that appear.
A burn that is healing should become less red and less painful each day. Increasing pain, spreading redness around the burn, swelling that gets worse rather than better, pus or cloudy fluid, a bad smell, or a fever are signs of infection and reasons to see a doctor.
When to Call an Ambulance
Some burns need a hospital, and first aid for burns at home is what keeps them stable until the ambulance arrives. Call an ambulance for:
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A burn larger than a 20-cent coin on an adult, or larger than a 50-cent coin on a child
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A burn on the face, neck, hands, feet, genitals, or major joint
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A full thickness burn of any size
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A chemical or electrical burn
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If any smoke or gas was inhaled
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A burn in a child under five, someone over 65, a pregnant woman, or anyone with a weakened immune system.
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A burn covering more than 10 per cent of the body in an adult, or more than 5 per cent of the body in a child.
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They show signs of shock such as cold clammy skin, sweating, rapid shallow breathing, dizziness, or feeling feint
If you are unsure, call 000 and describe the burn.
Building Your First Aid Skills Through Training
How deep a burn ends up is decided in the first 20 minutes. First aid for burns at home is the difference between a healed patch of skin and a scar, and practising it through a nationally recognised course gives you the muscle memory to turn an accident into a manageable injury.
FAQs
Can You Get a Burn From Cold?
Yes. Anything below freezing point that is held against bare skin for more than a few seconds can cause an ice burn that looks and feels similar to a heat burn but needs the opposite first aid. The area should be rewarmed instead, using water at around 37 to 39 degrees Celsius with no rubbing and no direct heat.
What Is the First Aid for a Burn Inside the Mouth?
Hold cool water or ice chips inside the mouth for around 20 minutes, since a tap cannot be run over the burned area.
How Are Electrical Burns Different?
An electrical burn often appears as small entry and exit wounds on the skin, sometimes no larger than a freckle, but the internal damage can be severe even when the external burn looks trivial. Anyone who has received an electric shock strong enough to leave a burn mark needs an ambulance and an ECG.
