Health & Support

 ... I've managed to burn my thumb pretty badly in that it... stuck to the side of the bowl I went to pick up and I had to more or less wrench it away. I've run it under cold water but the skin has turned a purplish colour, which strikes me as odd. I've never seen a burn go purple before. << Generally, though, does anyone have some advice on how to treat a nasty burn?

This is what happens when someone doesn't tell the person doing the washing up they just used a bowl in the microwave. ;\

if you have it or can get it soon, silvadene is an incredible cream for burns

Aww, man I burnt my finger really bad awhile ago on a hot pan that was in the stove.  Mine kind of turned white, but Ive also heard it can be very red, and even swollen.  Not sure how bad your burn is, but it really helps to run it under cold water.  Lotion or some type of gauze might also work well.  If you google first aid, you could probably find some kind of help.  Good luck!

Thanks guys! >< Yeah, I used google too, and I've ended up putting some germolene on it. I haven't covered it, though, as I can't remember whether it's blisters or burns you should let breathe instead of covering them with a plaster... ouch.

Cass: This has gone a kind of reddish purple. Almost the shade of a bruise. s:

Homesick: Never heard of it, I'm afraid, but I'm also in the UK.

Ice, or better, ice water.  Dunk it in a bowl of ice water for as long as you can stand it, frequently.  Even at up to an hour after the burn, this will still help.  The sooner you can get it on ice, the better.  It stops the burn from continuing to advance and "cook" your tissue, which will end up making the burn worse and the area larger.  Note, this is my theory, from numerous experiences with fairly severe burns, not a medical statement of fact.  I am a collection of burn scars, all up and down both hands and arms, from cooking, usually in a hurry and not paying enough attention.  Trust me.  The ice/ice water REALLY HELPS.  If it blisters up, do NOT pop the blisters. 

haha oh god, I've done that with a pan in a 400 degree oven. Depending on the severity, it will be purple, but soon it'll probably change color again.

I ran mine under freezing water for like 20 minutes but accepted the fact that I was gonna be in a lot of pain for a decently long time. You can also dunk your thumb in milk. crazy, but it helps.

A quick update: the burn today is still fairly purple and I can see now where I believe skin was taken off as it stuck (gross!) but is otherwise not too bad. P: Thanks for all your help, though - it was stupidly painful yesterday.

Starcrossdlovex: Ouch. My mum did similar to that once and had to have hers treated at hospital. This was by no means my worst burn, though - worst was a friction/carpet burn after being tripped by a prat in my old Business class. Instinct was to protect my face, for some reason, rather than put my hands down. Ended up skidding and removing a large square of skin from the back of my left hand... I'm talking inches. ;[ But I'm not so familiar with heat burns.

It's true - COLD water for as long as you can stand it will really decrease the badness of a burn... (not necessarily ice - you don't want to add frostbite to the problem - just very cold water straight out of the tap) The heat goes on damaging your skin for at least thirty minutes after the initial contact and the more of it you can remove the better... when my brother was a baby he pulled himself up on the radiator and burned both hands very badly because he was too little to know how to get down and he just stood there screaming - mama shoved his hands under the tap and he only scarred on one fingertip... and I've had tons of cooking burns.

Its times like this when you need real butter and whole milk in the house.  The fats in those products actually help repair the damage a bit faster.   I usually soak the burn in a bowl of ice cold whole milk for about 15 minutes then cover with butter and bandage.  By the next day the pain is usually gone compeletely. 

It works a lot better than my mothers solution of Mustard.  Its suppose to take the heat out. All it ever did for me was add more heat.

Edit:  You want the milk ice cold because your hand and the burn will warm it up quickly.  The colder it is the slower it warms up and the longer it is useful

I used to volunteer for St Johns (a charity in the UK that does first aid) and we were taught the following:

• Start cooling the burn immediately under running water for at least 10 minutes
• Remove jewellery etc... from the affected area - unless it is sticking to the skin.
• Cover the burn with clean, non-fluffy material to protect from infection.

And

• Do not  use lotions, ointments and creams.
• Do not use adhesive dressings.
• Do not break blisters.

Hope this helps...as a serial burner (I forget my hands are not made of asbestos!!) I can tell you that this advice has been invaluable for me!!  I also used to wrap a clean cloth round an ice cube and apply that (after running the water on the burn first)...helps numb the pain from the burn when e.g. watching tv etc...