James: Hi! I'm James. If I burn myself on a stove, is it best to run my hand under cold water or if there's no medical assistance around what should I do?
Tina Palmieri: James, great question. The first thing to remember is that you're not alone. Each year millions of people seek medical assistance from emergency rooms, urgent care centers and physician's offices for burns just like you are describing. First thing to remember is to stay calm. Remove your hand from the heat source and walk over to the sink, turn on the cold water and put your hand under the cold water. This will cool the burn and keep the burn from getting worse.
After a couple of minutes remove your hand from the water and apply a clean, dry cover. This can be something as simple as a wash cloth. If you have blisters that extend around your finger or on to your hand, you should seek medical assistance at either an emergency room or an urgent care center.
If your hand is just red, you're going to be just fine. It may sting a bit but you'll recover. Do not put ice on. Do not put tooth paste on the wound and do not use butter on the wound. All of these things can make you at a higher risk for infection and delay your wound heeling.
So, just remember three things. Remove yourself from the heat, cool the burn and then cover it. You'll be just fine.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services