Cool a burned finger under running water for 10 to 20 minutes, don’t use ice or butter, and cover loosely. See a doctor for blisters, large burns, or signs of infection.
Steps
- Cool under running water for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Remove rings before swelling.
- Cover loosely with a clean bandage.
- Take pain reliever if needed.
Don’t
Use ice, butter, oil or pop blisters.
Burn degrees
First degree: red, no blisters. Second: blisters. Third: white or charred.
See a doctor
If the burn is larger than 3 inches, on the hand with blisters, or deep.
Emergency
Third degree. Call 911.
First aid sequence
Cool the burn under cool (not ice cold) running water for 20 minutes, according to the guidance of the British Burn Association, and the American Burn Association recommends cooling for at least 10 minutes. Remove rings and tight items before swelling starts. Cover with a clean non-stick dressing or cling film.
- First-degree burns affect only the outer layer and cause redness and pain, healing in 3 to 6 days.
- Second-degree burns cause blisters and take 2 to 3 weeks to heal.
- Third-degree burns are white, brown or leathery and may be painless due to nerve damage.
- Do not apply ice, butter, toothpaste or oil, and do not pop blisters.
When to get care
Seek medical care for burns larger than the person’s palm, burns on the hands, face, feet, genitals or over joints, blistering that is large, signs of infection (pus, spreading redness), or for chemical and electrical burns. Aloe vera or petroleum jelly on healed, unbroken skin soothes. Check that tetanus vaccination is current, which is every 10 years.
First aid sequence
Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes, which limits tissue damage even when started up to 3 hours after injury. Remove rings or tight items before swelling. Do not use ice, butter, toothpaste or oil. Cover with a clean non stick dressing or plastic wrap. Over the counter pain relievers as directed on the label ease pain.
When to get care
Burns are graded: first degree (red, dry), second degree (blisters) and third degree (white, charred, numb). Seek medical care for burns larger than the palm of the hand, burns on the face, hands, feet or joints, chemical or electrical burns, and any third degree burn. Do not pop blisters. Check tetanus status; a booster is advised if it has been more than 5 to 10 years.
Burn depth and treatment details
Superficial burns involve the epidermis, with pain and redness and heal in 3 to 6 days without scarring. Partial thickness burns form blisters and heal in 2 to 3 weeks, and deeper partial thickness burns take longer and may scar. Cooling for 20 minutes with water at 8 to 25 C is evidence based. After cooling, aloe vera or petroleum jelly and a non adherent dressing help. Honey dressings have evidence for partial thickness burns.
Mistakes and follow up
Do not use ice, butter, toothpaste or egg whites, which can worsen damage. Do not pop blisters, which protect against infection. Change dressings daily and watch for infection: spreading redness, pus, fever. Burns on hands, feet, face, genitals or over joints, those larger than 3 inches, chemical and electrical burns need medical evaluation. Over 1 million Americans seek burn care yearly according to the American Burn Association.
Based on data from the American Burn Association and the Mayo Clinic
