How To Tuesday: Treating a Burn

Before I begin...

I am not a doctor. Or any kind of medial professional...so take my advice all at your own risk.

There. Glad I got that off my chest.

So you know what sucks? Burning yourself with a 400 degree hot tool. What it does to the skin is not a pretty thing. And in our line of work, burning yourself is an everyday thing, so we've learned a couple of tricks over the years.


Prevent the burn. This is the biggest advice I could give. Do what you can to prevent the burn. Seems simple right? For example, this morning I used my rod for the first time since I burned myself with it (it was bad, I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital) so I put on long sleeves, and actually used that protective glove they gave me. No burns today.

But if you do get burned... they say to run it under water for a reason. It really does help. And not for just 30 seconds. You really have to run it under for a long time. Start with 5 minutes. Then see how it goes from there. Check the degree of the burn. If it's really severe, consider seeing a doctor.

Home remedies. There are a thousand home remedies out there. On my last burn I kept mustard on it all day that first day. But be careful what you use...you could be allergic or it could irritate your burn even more.

Burn creams. They are pretty good to have on hand in your medicine cabinet. Just stock it up with one like you would with a pain reliever or hydrogen peroxide.

Speaking of pain relievers. Take one.

Keep it clean and dry. And whatever you do. DO NOT pop the blister.



What are your secrets to treating a burn?