Burn Treatment Options
If you visit a healthcare professional for burn treatment, they determine how bad your burn is by examining your skin. You could be transferred to a burn center if your burn actually covers more than 10% of your total body surface area, or if it is deep, is on your face, your feet or groin, or meets any other criteria established by the American Burn Association.
Your healthcare professional will also check for other injuries and could order lab tests, X-rays, or other relevant diagnostic tests.
Treatment for Burns
Most minor burns can usually be treated at home. They often heal within just a few weeks.
For a major burn, after first aid has been administered and once a healthcare professional has examined your burns, treatment could involve one or more of the following: prescription medicine, wound dressings, therapy, and even surgery. The goals of the burn treatments are to control your pain, remove dead tissue, prevent damaging infection, lower your scarring risk, and restore function.
If you have a major burn, you may require treatment at a specialized burn center. You might need a skin graft to cover a large wound. You might need some emotional support and months of follow-up care, which includes physical therapy.
Medical Burn Treatment
Medicines and products available that might help with healing a major burn include:
- Water-based treatments- Your care team could use techniques like whirlpool baths to help remove the dead tissue.
- Fluids to prevent dehydration- You might need intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration and even organ failure. These are called IV fluids.
- Pain and anxiety medicines- Burns progressing through healing can be extremely painful. You might benefit from morphine and anti-anxiety medicine. These could be needed when your bandages are changed.
- Burn creams and ointments- If you are not transferred to a burn center, your care team might use a variety of topical products for your wound healing. Examples are bacitracin and silver sulfadiazine, or Silvadene. These will help prevent infection and prepare the wound to close.
- Dressings- Your care team will also use specialty wound dressings to help prepare the wound to heal. If you are being transferred to a burn center, your wound will be covered in just dry gauze.
- Drugs that fight infection- If you develop an infection, you could need IV antibiotics.
- Tetanus shot- Your healthcare team could recommend that you get a tetanus shot after your burn injury.
Coping and Support
Coping with a burn injury can be a serious challenge, especially if it covers a large area of your body or is in a place readily visible by other people, such as your face or hands. Any potential scarring, diminished mobility, and surgeries add to your mental burden.
Consider joining a support group of others who have had serious burns and appreciate what you are going through. You might find comfort in sharing your experience and meeting people who face similar challenges. Ask your healthcare professional for information on support groups in your area.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
If the burn area is large or covers joints, you might benefit from physical therapy exercises. This will help stretch the skin, so your joints remain flexible. Other versions of exercise can improve your muscle strength and coordination. Occupational therapy will help if you have difficulty returning to your daily activities.