So, some retard forgot to don overalls before welding, then dropped lovely hot metal on himself.

What am I meant to do with 2nd degree burns to stop any nasty side effects?

Cheers

Pee on it

I save that for my toes (long story)

I burned myself more times than I care to remember, kept grabbing onto things after welding them or like you dripping welds onto myself. I do it with the oven too because I can't see the flame. I just put it under the tap and wait out a few days. The area goes shiny then dries out and cracks a bit but not really painful.

I did similar last year, my friend who was a nurse in a burns unit gave me some antiseptic cream and a transparent film dressing, a bit like cling film but much stronger and really sticky. It stayed on for a week and a bit while it healed and prevented infection. Can't remember the name but I bet the pharmacist would know!

as mistergrumpy said, run it under cold water. don't cover it as this will just create a perfect environment for bacteria to grow (except the type jlparsons is talking about - cant remember the specific brand but know it is a hydrogel dressing). see how it is over the weekend, if it starts getting yellow-green and pus-like then you might need antibiotics.

[Edited on 8/8/09 by mads]

Ice ,

Cheers, good advice there, hopefully I won't rot too much

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Originally posted by rusty nuts
Ice ,

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I heard some tale about rubbing it in your hair (only suitable for hands unless you're a contortionist). Maybe just an old wives tale.....

Best cream for the purpose is flamazine. Put something like melonin on top of that. If you find the melonin sticking wipe some vaseline on the wound after the flamazine....

not a big fan of herbal things but aloe vera from a plant worked really well when i lifted a piesce of metal i'd been welding at for 10 mins. no scars and was back at work the next day....

Greg.

I pestered a friend for advice (she has a lot of experience repairing me, so I trust her with this stuff)

Figure it might be useful to anyone else branding themselves

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best to keep very very clean washing with fingertips and cool soapy water then pat dry with clean towel. give a good bit of antibiotic ointment over top and then a clean dry bandage. idk about the size but change dressings often. sounds like the white numb ones are 3rd degree and you may lose skin there. they're gonna itch really badly once they begin to heal. without having a doc prescribe something after looking at them i would say just be careful with em. infections are likely. if they get itchier and hotter you may consider seeing a doc anyway. don't bump them into things either. really don't. keep em wrapped clean and dry.

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First action on any burn is to get it under the cold tap for as long as possible - longer the better. You need to get the heat out to prevent deep tissue damage (basically, like when you cook a joint of meat, it keeps cooking after you take it out of the oven...)

Sudocrem is always good and those with kids will usuall have several pots of the stuff lying arounf the place - then clean dressings changed regularly as your friend says.

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Originally posted by StevieB
First action on any burn is to get it under the cold tap for as long as possible - longer the better. You need to get the heat out to prevent deep tissue damage

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Man up and grow some nuts!

I weld for a living and I'm covered in burns, hardly feel them now.

I wouldn't bother putting owt on it unless you want a 'my little pony' plaster and a 'Ive been a brave boy' sticker?!

psssh. My nuts are present and correct(well, present), thankyouverymuch.

I'm quite used to burns and other hilarious forms of pain, but I generally don't get ones this big or deep.

Mostly I was asking for advice due to the infection risk of a few fairly large burns in areas I'm quite likely to tear the blisters off.

You carry on being hard, I'll stick to being smart, now run along, there's a good boy.

Do not put a burn under the cold tap, the flow of water can pull off any damaged skin or the top of a forming blister exposing the underlying tissue to infection.

Fill a clean bowl with cold water and immerse the burn it the water. You may need to keep the burn immersed for 20 minutes or more changing the water from time to time to keep it cool.

If you are intending to go to casualty then cling film is a good enough dressing and will help prevent infection. If you do think the burn is bad enough for proper treatment then Melolin dressings are good to use as they have a shiny none stick surface on one side. Try not to burst any blisters as again this can allow infection.

If you have left it long enough for blisters to form then it is probably too late to try cooling the burn.

[Edited on 8/8/09 by Toltec]

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Originally posted by jlparsons
I did similar last year, my friend who was a nurse in a burns unit gave me some antiseptic cream and a transparent film dressing, a bit like cling film but much stronger and really sticky. It stayed on for a week and a bit while it healed and prevented infection. Can't remember the name but I bet the pharmacist would know!

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Originally posted by Toltec
Do not put a burn under the cold tap, the flow of water can pull off any damaged skin or the top of a forming blister exposing the underlying tissue to infection.

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Depends on the burn. I did a doozer a few weeks ago - welded a metal strip onto a 19mm tube then put all my weight on the tube with no protection 30 seconds later.

Hurt like hell. Spent the entire evening (7 hours) with my hand in iced water. Would leave it in till my fingers went numb, then take it out till my palm hurt & repeat.

Next day hardly a mark on my hand and no broken skin!

When you break the skin like others have said - keep it clean. Had a cooking injury with boiling oil that i wrapped in clingflim for a few hours (to finish the cooking) and keep it clean.

The hair tip is about distracting your head from the pain! it seem there are so many nerve endings firing when your rub your head against a shaven head your brain can't comprehend that your hand hurts. (heard it from foundry and welder worker).