Treating Burns

I felt 'inspired' to write this hub after burning my hand on a red-hot frying pan. I'd like to blame someone else for this burn, like the person who insisted on buying the frying pan in the first place (my husband) but he's not here so I guess I'm stuck with casting evil glares in the smoking frying pan's direction.

We bought this annoying thing 2 weeks ago to replace the old one which was falling apart. It's nice and shiny - definite selling points that make it kitchen worthy - but the annoying thing has a steel handle that goes from 0 degrees to the temperature of molten lava within minutes.

So, I was cooking, after having come home from a long day of work and miserably dealing with the beginning of rainy season. Basically, I was tired and not thinking clearly, and when the frying pan shifted a bit off of the burner, I instinctively grabbed it to hold it steady.

ARGH! The pain! The burning, scalding pain!

Trust me, I said a lot worse than that. I immediately put my hand under cold running water but it didn't alleviate the pain or swelling. A few minutes later I surmised that ice would do the job twice as fast in numbing the area to soothe the wound. Was that ever a totally moronic mistake!

First of all, regardless of the severity of your burn, do not do any of the following unless you want to make your burn worse:

- Do not add ice

And for good measure, don't mistakenly put any other type of strange home remedy that you picked up from an unreliable source.

First Degree burns: Sunburns and scalds are mainly red and painful and can be treated by running cool water over it for 15-30 minutes, or until the pain lessens.

Any burn not requiring medical attention can be treated with natural remedies. Give the burn time to heal after cooling it down. Keep it clean and wrapped (if necessary) and allow it to naturally heal for 24 hours before treating it. Once it's been given a chance to recover, wash it gently with some mild soap and water. That'll keep it happy and resistant to infections.

After 2 or 3 days, you can soothe the burn and help the healing process by applying some freshly cut aloe to the area. Because of aloe's analgesic properties, it works well for improving the condition of the burn. You can also break open a capsule of vitamin E and rub the liquid onto your skin to prevent scarring and make it feel better.

To avoid getting burnt in the first place, avoid dangerous places that contain chemicals or electrical hazards. Don't leave the stove unattended and always wear oven mits when handling hot pots, pans, and before sticking your hands into the stove.

I seriously wish that I'd thought of these clever safety tips before I went and put my left hand out of commission for the weekend.