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A Mom Should Know…How to Treat a Burn

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There are some things that I feel like I should know how to do as a mother – and basic first-aid is one of those things. In the event of an emergency, I want to be the calm, collected mom who knows exactly what to do. So I appreciate getting a “refresher” every once in awhile in the basics.

That’s why I hastily agreed to post about treating burns when a PR agency contacted me about Burn Jel Plus, an emergency burn care product created by Water Jel.

First, here’s the facts about burns.

“Every 25 seconds, someone in the United States is burned or scalded in their home, and once it happens, every second counts. Scalds are the leading cause of accidental death in the home for children from birth to age 4 and account for 60 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14. And the most likely place for children under 4 to be burned is right in their own kitchen.”

Here’s what not to do if your child gets burned:

The use of home remedies such as butter or creams causes more damage by trapping heat and creating a risk for infection. Ice should never be applied to a burn because extreme cold can cause additional tissue injury.

So, you shouldn’t use ice, butter, or cream. What about water?

While many parents immediately turn to water when a burn occurs, it has limitations for burn relief and treatment. As heat is transferred from the wound through evaporation, the surface temperature lowers, but heat emanating from deep within the burn rises to counteract the cooling effect of the evaporating liquid, which then requires new application.

Scarring can occur when burned tissue remains at an uneven temperature, meaning rapid and consistent heat transfer is critical.

If possible, it’s best to have an emergency burn care gel on-hand in your home. If you don’t have a gel, – I did a quick google search – and it appears that the next best thing is running cool (not cold) water over the area. If you think the burn is serious, don’t hesitate to call 911. 

Burn Jel is widely available at stores including Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS for the suggested retail price of $8.99.

You can check the Water Jel website for more first aid and burn safety tips.

WIN IT! Five winners will be selected. Each winner will receive a 4 FL OZ box of Burn Jel Plus. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post prior to Tuesday, May 6 at midnight (don’t forget to follow the rules). The winner will be announced and contacted on Wednesday, May 7. * Winner must provide a U.S. mailing address.

 *UPDATE* The winners are #107 Meredith Peters, #157 Michelle H, #140 Angie P., #67 Sue Farrell, and #58 Denyse. Congratulations!

Comments

  12. …………………………………………
    “Every 25 seconds, someone in the U.S. is burned or scalded in their home, and once it happens, every second counts. Scalds are the leading cause of accidental death in the home for children from birth to age 4 and account for 60 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14. And the most likely place for children under 4 to be burned is right in their own kitchen.”
    ………………………………………….
    ………………………………………….

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  15. Here’s hoping that none of us needs to use this, but it will be nice to have around just in case.

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  19. I’ve never tried this product…but thanks for discussing how to treat burns. Its one of those things that most people don’t plan for until the last minute.

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  20. This is great, my son just grabbed my curling iron the other day and I just ran his hand under cold water and put toothpaste on it. I had no idea this existed!

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  21. It is so important to have the necessary tools when a burn is involved, which I unfortunately found out the hard way last year when we went camping.

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  22. THANKS FOR THE 411 ON THIS PRODUCT. I WILL LOOK FOR THIS AT THE DRUG STORE. JUST IN CASE, FOR MY GRANDSONS VISIT!

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  23. This is such a necessity. Thanks for the info, too. I had no idea that uneven temperature is a cause of scarring.

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  27. Excellent addition to any auto/home medical kit. best of luck to all who enter. Happy Mother’s Day to ALL!!!!! Many Thanks SW

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  29. With two growing sons and a clutzy husband, this is something we definately need to have on hand!

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  33. I will have to check this product out next time I go to Walgreens. Being a clumsy person, I definitely need this product in my home!!

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  35. This would have really come in handy when my daughter burned her arm and I had to use the cool running water to soothe it.

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  40. I’m so glad to know the best way to deal with my children’s burns and would especially love to win this.

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  44. Man, I wish I had this when I burned my hand when I reached over the steam to get at the pot in which my pasta was cooking!!! ANYONE can benefit from a prize like this–you never know.

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  50. Someone in my house is always burning themselves so this would be an awesome product to have!

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  54. Your post is very helpful. As a soon to be mother I should know this stuff. I would like to have this product on hand.

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  59. This would be a great addition to a first aid kit to ease the pain associated with burns.

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  63. This product is new to me; I have always used the aloe vera plant; but you have to keep them alive. Thanks for bringing this product to our attention!

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  65. I’d keep it cool on the door of the ‘frigerator
    So I’d grab it sooner rather than later!

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  70. I actually learned quite a bit from your info above. I knew what not to do but I learned some more about what to do. Thanks for that!

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  73. I let my son go camping with my husband without me for the first time when he was about 18 months old. It was hard to do, but he had a great time. Except he came back with a third degree burn on his from fally on a rock that was close to the fire. He didnt even know that he was hurt, he kept telling everyone that our new puppy had bit him. Anyway, the burn info would have been really helpfull.

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  74. this would be so great, i felt so bad when my daughter burned her hand a year ago and i didn’t know what to do, luckily there’s no scar, phew!

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  78. I’m always cooking. Seems like I’m always getting burned. Could really use this. Please enter me, thank you

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  89. I burned myself last year, taking something out of the oven. We had no topical burn relief in the house. We had to go out that evening, and fortunately I was able to get some, but it was already too late for immediate relief and treatment. This is an important thing for every household to have that is often overlooked. thanks for the reminder and contest.

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  90. I work in construction and I get alot of different types of burns and I have a wife who cooks more of her skin then she does food. Great contest – thank you for it!

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  91. Sounds like a wonderful product – but with my level of klutziness, I’m more likely to need it than my son!

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  93. I sure could have used that this winter. We used our woodstove exclusively for heat and occassionaly I would burn my forearm. I will sur get some for next year unless you want to send me some.

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  96. Forget about my son, I need this for hubby. He always seems to do something to hurt himself and its usually a burn.

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  98. I have never heard of this product, sounds like we should all have this in our medicine cabinet-just in case of a burn

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  100. You just tought me something about how to treat burns. Thanks I am going to go get this product.

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  103. This stuff is the best burn treatment out there. I work with hot metal and I do sometimes get burned by it. I have never found another product that works so well!
    This should be in everyones medicine cabinet.
    I am almost out and would appreciate a chance to win some.

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  108. boy I remember when I was little my mom used to treat our burns with butter. I remember learning later that this was really one of the worst things to do. Thank God I learned before I had kids!

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  109. I hate when i burn myself cooking. Seems i’m always out of something to put on the burns.

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  110. Thank you for educating us about how to treat a burn. I immediately went to ice and cold water last time I was burned pretty badly (outdoor cooking accident). This gel sounds like a must for every household.

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  124. This looks like a great item to have in your first aid kit. You never know when it will be needed. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  125. This stuff is the best I’ve found. Not only on around the house burns but on sunburned skin as well.

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  130. This would be an important product to have during the summer months when sunburns and grill-related burns are common. Thanks.

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  133. I would love to win this, but I am going to go buy some tomorrow. This sounds like a great product to have on hand for the summer, with all the barbecues and campfires.

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  134. This is definately something I need to add to the first aid kit. I was burnt when I was 12 years old and wish we had it then. Thank you for the contest!

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  135. I work in a large, metropolitan ER that sees burns quite often. Many times the patient (and their family members) do not know how to treat a burn properly prior to admission. They are frightened and in quite a bit of pain! Having a topical gel on hand that is easy to administer and will help speed the healing process as well as control pain, should be a priority for all households. I am so glad to see an over the counter product like Burn Gel and am glad that you are promoting it. Keep up the great work!

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  140. This sounds like a great product and a great thing to have on hand. Thanks for the giveaway and the reminder that I need to get some of that.

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  142. This sounds like it would be great. I live out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest hospital is an hour and a half away.

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  159. This is great information. I didn’t even realize that there were burn gels! Gosh, I guess you learn something new everyday. Thanks for the info!

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  160. This does sound like a great thing to have on hand. Speaking of hand…I’ve got a toaster burn on the top of mine right now!

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  161. Wow, I didn’t know that about ice. I have always used an ice pack for burns. I sometimes use cold water too. But, now that I know about this, I’m going to get some. Maybe I’ll win some. I’ll be taking it with me when we go camping or have a fire in the backyard for s’mores. We don’t have a fireplace but we have lots of chef wannabes. Kitchens and burns are synonymous.

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  162. I could use some of this burn stuff. We have a gas fireplace and this past winter my husband showed our daughter how to warm her hands next to it but not touch it. Well she was warming her hands once and touched it. She now has a scar from the burn that looks like Mikey Mouse on her hand.

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  163. Sounds like something every mama should have in the pantry right next to her stove. Just today I was trying to keep my baby away from the sizzling, popping bacon. What a challenge! With his undying curiosity I just might need a tube of this on hand!

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  165. Sounds like a great thing to have just in case.
    I’ve always been afriad that my kids will get burned, the’re always in my way while I’m making dinner. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  166. i had a colleague in chiropractic school suggest putting tomato sauce on a burn. the last time i got burned in the kitchen was from too hot tomato sauce that was bubbling! never tried that remedy for the burn, but i do like the healing properties of aloe vera. of course, when you don’t have a plant around or are out and about, a tube of stuff works great. thanks for the contest.

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  167. OH yeah. Adding this one to our medicine cabinet next trip to the drug store. Thanks for the tips.

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  168. I’ve never heard of this, either. Sounds like a great product. I have to admit, though, that I would be using it! Not my son! I seem to burn myself once a week in the kitchen…clumsy clumsy me.

    Thanks!

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  171. We could definitely use this in our first aid kit. We’ve got a bottle of aloe vera, but I don’t know how effective that stuff would be on anything worse than a mild sunburn.

    Reply

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