There is a significant need for greater awareness of the correct first aid treatment and it’s not using ice, butter, cucumber or toothpaste.
The inaugural National Burns Awareness Month (1-30 June), has been established to drive greater awareness amongst the Australian community of the correct first aid treatment for minor burns.
Julian Burton OAM, Founder of the Julian Burton Burns Trust comments, “Surprisingly there are still many misconceptions when it comes to the best way to treat a burn. National Burns Awareness Month is about creating awareness of burns first aid for everyday household burns and scalds”.
Mr Burton, who suffered life-threatening burn injuries in the 2002 Bali Bombings, says “Correct burns first aid of ‘Remove – Cool – Cover’ is important to stop the burning process. REMOVE yourself from danger and remove any clothing or jewellery around the affected burn area; COOL the burn under cool running water for 20-minutes and then COVER with a hydrogel, such as Burnaid® gel, to help relieve the pain and then cover with a clean dressing.”
Research by Australia’s leading burns specialists has confirmed that cool running water for 20-minutes should be the required standard[3] and if no running water is available to immerse the burn in water or wet towels. If clean water is not available use a hydrogel to help relieve the pain.
Sydney Mum of two, Laila Macri comments, “A minor burn that I suffered recently became really painful due to a sequence of preventable events. I accidently dropped a hot hair wand and instinctively went to grab it causing a burn on a very soft piece of skin on the inside of my wrist. Although it wasn’t big it was extremely painful. I put it under water but only for a minute or so and then applied cream containing arnica of all things and thought it would help. Now I know it doesn’t. Over the next couple of days as the burn was healing I knocked it against the edge of a box causing the burn injury to become a lot worse and again repeated what I thought would help treat it. I knew I needed to treat it immediately but I had no idea that putting my hand under cool running water for 20-minutes would have been the best way to treat the burn.”
National Burns Awareness Month is an initiative of the Julian Burton Burns Trust, Australia's leading community organisation dedicated to burn injury.
