What should I do if I don't have burn ointment after a burn?

Written by Wang Xiang Li
Emergency Medicine
Updated on December 28, 2024
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After getting burned and if there is no burn ointment at hand, you should first remove the clothes around the burn, and then rinse or soak the wound in cold water for more than half an hour, and then apply vegetable oil to the wound.

If there is noticeable redness, swelling, and pain, as well as blisters of various sizes, you can use a sterilized needle to puncture the blisters from the bottom, and squeeze out the blister fluid from top to bottom, but do not tear off the blister skin. Then disinfect with iodine and wrap the wound with a clean cloth, and promptly go to the hospital for further treatment. The patient should avoid spicy and irritating foods to reduce congestion and swelling at the burned area, thereby reducing local pain and itching.

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Written by Wang Xiang Li
Emergency Medicine
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What should I do if I get burned by hot oil?

After being scalded by hot oil, first, you should quickly move away from the hot oil. If oil splashes onto your clothes, carefully remove the oil-soaked clothing, including pants, shoes, and socks. Rinse the affected area with running water for more than half an hour to reduce the burning sensation and pain. If the scald manifests as local redness or small blisters, you can apply burn ointment to the surface. Try not to break the blisters or the epidermis to avoid bacterial infection. If blisters have already formed, under strict sterilization, you can use a sterilized needle to drain the blister fluid and then cover the wound with gauze to protect it from water. If the blisters are relatively large, it is advisable to go to the hospital burn department for examination, treatment, and care.

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Written by Wang Xiang Li
Emergency Medicine
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Can I eat lamb after a burn?

Whether a burn patient can eat mutton mainly depends on the severity of the patient's condition. It is best not to eat mutton because mutton is quite pungent and is considered a hot-natured food. Eating such food after being burned is not conducive to the recovery of the burn and can make the burn more severe, easily causing local wound infection and inflammation. Apart from mutton, spicy and stimulating foods are also not recommended, such as raw onions, raw garlic, chili peppers, Sichuan peppers, leeks, fish, shrimp, beef, and dog meat. Patients should also avoid smoking and alcohol, and it is better for them to have a bland diet, which can promote metabolism and facilitate the recovery from burns.

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Written by Wang Xiang Li
Emergency Medicine
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Can soy sauce be used for burns?

After a burn, do not apply soy sauce because it contains a high amount of salt, which can aggravate the severity of the burn. Additionally, soy sauce may not be clean and could possibly contaminate the wound with bacteria, leading to infection. However, consuming soy sauce does not significantly affect the healing of burns. The correct practice is to immediately soak the burned area with running tap water or cold water for about half an hour, then observe if there are any blisters or similar conditions. You can apply some burn moisturizing cream for further treatment. Generally, the wound should be treated with exposure therapy, and in severe cases of burns, skin grafting or flap surgery might be considered.

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Written by Li Xiao Lin
Emergency Department
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How to relieve pain from a finger burn that is red

Redness and pain have occurred in the finger due to a burn, indicating that the burn is not severe and has likely affected the epidermis and its terminal nerves, causing pain. First, to alleviate the pain, the burn can be immediately rinsed with cold water or running cold water for over half an hour. If pain relief is not significantly achieved by this method, oral pain relievers such as painkillers or celecoxib may be taken for pharmacological pain management, which should provide some relief. If oral medication is also ineffective, then it would be necessary to go to the hospital for muscle injection of pain-relief drugs. (Medication should be taken according to medical advice.)

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Written by Li Xiao Lin
Emergency Department
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Can I drink alcohol if my finger is scalded?

Burns on the fingers are not directly related to drinking alcohol, so it is still possible to drink a small amount of alcohol after burning your fingers. However, from a health perspective, it is best to avoid drinking alcohol. The primary concern with finger burns is the treatment of the burns: frequent disinfection and dressing changes are necessary to protect the burn site and prevent infection. Additionally, it is beneficial for the recovery of the soft tissue to minimize the movement of the burned fingers. Moving the burned fingers might lead to tearing of the soft tissues and bleeding, which can prolong the recovery time of the burn.