Wound Care Products for Burns

By Afshin Nejad

Burns are one of the most painful injuries you can sustain. You can become burned while you are cooking quite easily. Burns in the home happen from scalding water frequently, and space heaters are often the source of these painful injuries. To be prepared for an injury of this type you need to have special wound care products ready in your first aid kit.

Wound care products that you must have to treat burns are scissors, gauze, tape to hold the gauze in place, and ointments to help treat the pain. Sterile exam gloves often come in handy when you have to treat one of these injuries. The gloves will protect the injured person from germs you may have on your hands when you are treating them. A burn leaves a person more susceptible to secondary infections caused by bacteria entering the body through the damaged area.

Wound care products that are useful in case of one of these injuries include ointments and creams that contain Lidocaine. Lidocaine is a topical analgesic that will work to numb the area that has been injured. You can get this medication over the counter in the form of gels, ointments, and sprays. It is very effective at easing the pain of a burn.

A solar blanket is useful to have when someone has been severely burned. While you are waiting on the emergency rescue team to arrive you can cover the injured party with a solar blanket to protect them from debris and to try and counteract the effects of shock. Shock often makes the injured party feel cold and the blanket will help to remedy that sensation. Shock is frequent among people who have second or third degree burns on their body. It is imperative that you call for emergency assistance if you suspect that someone is going into shock. The signs and symptoms you need to watch for are: nausea or vomiting, shallow breathing, rapid breathing, skin that is gray or pale in color, skin that feels clammy and the person being cold. Shock is a life threatening condition that needs attention from medical professionals.

Aloe Vera gel is something that can be very soothing to a minor burn or sunburn. Many people keep bottles of aloe Vera gel in their refrigerators to use when someone is burned by the sun. Witch hazel is another product that will help to draw the heat out of a sun burn or other type of burn. You should keep the witch hazel in the burn treatment kit that you assemble.

When you suspect chemical burn you should always immediately call for emergency assistance. You want to remove any visible powdered chemicals from the skin. Be very careful not to transfer the chemicals to other areas of the person's body, or to your body. Wash the area that has been affected with copious amounts of cool running water. You will be flushing away any residue that may be on the skin by using the clean running water. Do not soak the area in a basin of cool water because this could introduce the chemical to other unaffected areas.

Wound care products for burns should include something to help ease the pin, a gel or lotion to help neutralize any chemical and soothe away the pin, and gauze to lightly bandage the area. Wound care products for burns often include sprays and lotions that contain witch hazel or Lidocaine. You can get more information at wound care products and vitamin Shoppe.

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