burns

[scotthowes]

I have QUESTION ..how can you tell when it is safe to dive after getting burned?When a scab forms or is it possable to cover with vaseline?

 

[XTX95]

What kind of burn is it? A serious one or one of those "off the stove" burns?

 

[scotthowes]

third degree.fell on a webber grill a week ago saturday

 

[XTX95]

I'm not sure with that one. If I were you I wouldn't take the chance. Ask your doctor and see what he says. I'm thinking it should need medical clearance.

 

[bamamedic]

A third degree burn is a fairly significant burn (first degree = looks like a sunburn, no breakage of the skin, second degree = blisters, third degree = charred, pale, leathery skin)

One of the big dangers of a third degree (or full thickness) burn is infection. If I were you, I'd wait until the thing is fully healed before diving again.

You are under a doctor's care for this, right?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

As bamamedic stated, a 3rd degree burn is a serious injury. It can be life-threatening depending on what percentage and what parts of the body are affected. Are you sure that it was really a 3rd degree burn? The reason I ask is that normally people who sustain such injuries aren't eager to subject themselves one week later to activities that: (1) are of a demanding physical nature, (2) could hinder wound-healing, and (3) would pose a high risk of infection.

I suppose that one approach would be to prevent saltwater contact with the affected area during the dive. A drysuit with drygloves (if the burn involved one or both hands) would be one way to achieve this.

I suggest that you take a break from diving for a little while. I'm almost afraid to ask how you fell onto a hot Weber grill. Get better soon.

 

[cutlass]

It's scary when someone says "3rd degree burn". Even if that's not what it is, it still implies a fairly significant event which should have been urgently examined and treated.

Concern for sealing a wound implies broken skin; at least a blistering 2nd degree burn. Probably the only fair thing to say is wait until there aren't any more blisters or scabs, the itching abates, and the raw skin no longer has a moist appearence; certainly no oozing/weeping. For small burns, that might take a week or two at the very least.

Something like petro-jelly certainly isn't the first thing to slap on a burn. But after the burning process has been stopped and any dead skin cleaned away, such goop helps preserve moisture and cleanliness; mild topical antibiotic creams may be used but aren't substitutes for basic cleanliness. Semi-permeable barrier films like Bioclusive(tm) and Tegaderm(tm) are waterproof but AFAIK not proven in deeper than surface conditions. Durability under active conditions is also questionable. Using these usually requires some instruction.

Even a small 3rd degree burn -- say, about 1cm in diameter -- is still serious stuff and should be professionally managed. Dead tissue is toxic, nothing good can grow from it and is removed to the extent possible. Regrowth progresses slowly inward from clean margins and usually requires careful management to reduce scarring and loss of function.* Consequently, even a small burn can take several weeks to heal properly. People working with welding equipment, molten material, or exposed to electrical arcing are at particular risk for such intense spot burns. Otherwise, such burns tend to be extensive because of inability to escape; either entrapment, physical disability, or altered mentation including drunkeness and unconsciousness.

*Here's when plastics really prove their worth.

 

[Zippsy]

Ask your doctor and see what he says.

he?????

 

[XTX95]

Ask your doctor and see what he/she says.

Fixed it =)