First Aid for a Small (Minor) Burn

Step 1 - Stop the burning process

• Remove any clothing or jewelry near the area (unless stuck to the skin).
• Move away from the heat source.

Step 2 - Cool the burn (most important step)

• Hold the burned skin under cool running water for 10-20 minutes as soon as possible. The sooner, the better.
• This reduces pain and limits how deep the burn goes.
• Do not use ice, ice-cold water, or ice packs - these cause further tissue damage (vasoconstriction worsens the injury).
• Do not use butter, toothpaste, oil, egg white, or any home remedy - these trap heat and raise infection risk.

Step 3 - Assess the burn

• Small (roughly smaller than your palm)
• Red, painful, and possibly slightly swollen (superficial/first-degree)
• No large blisters, no white/brown/black charred skin

• Burn is on the face, hands, feet, genitals, or over a joint
• Blisters are large or the skin looks white, leathery, or charred
• Burn is larger than roughly 3 inches (7-8 cm) across
• Caused by chemicals or electricity
• The person is a young child, elderly, or immunocompromised
• Signs of infection develop later (increasing pain, redness spreading, pus, fever)

Step 4 - Cover the burn

• Once cooled, cover loosely with a clean non-stick dressing or cling film (do not wrap tightly).
• Cling film is ideal as a temporary cover - it is clean, transparent (so you can monitor healing), and does not stick.
• Avoid fluffy cotton wool directly on the wound (fibers stick).

Step 5 - Pain relief

• Take paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen as directed for pain. Ibuprofen (an NSAID) is particularly effective for burn pain.
• According to the Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, superficial burns are "treated with topical soothing salves and oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents" (Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, p. burn depth section).

Step 6 - Ongoing wound care

• Change the dressing daily or every 2-3 days.
• Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or a simple non-medicated dressing works well. Antibiotic ointment is not routinely needed for small clean burns.
• Keep the area moisturized as it heals to reduce itching and scarring.
• Avoid popping blisters - they protect the healing skin underneath.

Step 7 - Watch for infection

• Increasing redness or swelling spreading outward
• Yellow/green discharge or pus
• Fever
• Increasing rather than decreasing pain

Healing time

• Superficial (first-degree) burns: 3-5 days, no scarring
• Superficial partial-thickness (second-degree with small blisters): 1-3 weeks, may have mild discolouration