How should you treat a burn? Learn the correct steps to take for first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree burns. Discover the dos and don’ts of burn care and get expert tips to promote healing.

Understanding the Types of Burns

Burns can be classified into three main categories based on the depth of skin damage: first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree burns. The severity of the burn determines the appropriate treatment approach.

First-Degree Burns

First-degree burns only affect the outermost layer of the skin, known as the epidermis. These burns typically result in redness and mild pain. Overexposure to the sun is a common cause of first-degree burns. Most first-degree burns can be treated at home without the need for medical attention. The recommended treatment is to rinse the burned area with cool water for 5-10 minutes and then apply a moisturizing lotion. If the pain persists, an over-the-counter pain reliever can be taken.

Second-Degree Burns

Second-degree burns penetrate the second layer of skin, the dermis. These burns are usually bright red with a moist or blistered appearance. Scalding with extremely hot water or other liquids can cause second-degree burns. Blistering and sloughing of the skin are common, and the risk of infection is higher, so it is important to consult a physician for proper treatment. Some second-degree burns may require a skin graft or skin substitute to heal properly.

Third-Degree Burns

Third-degree burns involve all layers of the skin and can appear dry or leathery to the touch. They can be ashen or charred black or brown in color. If the burn has damaged the nerve endings, the patient may not feel any pain. Causes of third-degree burns can include hot oil, friction, touching hot surfaces, or chemical burns. These types of burns are considered a medical emergency, and immediate medical attention is crucial.

Dos and Don’ts of Burn Treatment

When it comes to treating burns, there are some common misconceptions and outdated remedies that should be avoided. Here are the dos and don’ts of burn care:

What Not to Do

• Do not apply butter, cow dung, beeswax, bear fat, eggs, or lard to the burn. These can retain heat and may be contaminated with bacteria, which can worsen the injury.
• Avoid using ice or very cold water, as this can further damage the tissue.
• Do not pop any blisters that may form, as this increases the risk of infection.

What to Do

1. Immediately rinse the burned area with cool water for 5-10 minutes to stop the burning process and relieve pain.
2. Wash the burned area with mild soap and water, then cover with sterile gauze.
3. For minor burns, consider applying aloe vera gel mixed with lavender essential oil, which can help reduce inflammation and promote healing.
4. Honey is another effective natural remedy for minor burns.
5. If the burn is severe, seek immediate medical attention, as third-degree burns require specialized treatment.

The Importance of Burn Awareness

The first week of February is designated as Burn Awareness Week, sponsored by the American Burn Association. During this time, community educators work to raise awareness about the prevention and proper treatment of burns, which can range from minor sun exposure to serious injuries caused by hot liquids, fire, electricity, or chemicals.

Avoiding Burn Injuries

While burns can happen unexpectedly, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of burn injuries. Here are some tips:

Fireworks Safety

Experts recommend watching fireworks displays from a safe distance, rather than attempting to light or handle them yourself. Fireworks can easily cause serious burns if not handled properly.

Kitchen Safety

Be cautious when cooking with hot liquids, oils, and surfaces. Ensure that pot handles are turned inward on the stove, and keep a safe distance from hot surfaces to avoid accidental contact.

Electrical Safety

Avoid touching hot electrical devices, such as irons or curling irons, and unplug them when not in use to prevent burn injuries.

Seeking Medical Attention

If a burn is severe, it is crucial to seek medical attention immediately. Third-degree burns, which involve all layers of the skin and underlying tissues, are a medical emergency and require prompt treatment to prevent further complications.

By understanding the different types of burns, following proper first-aid protocols, and taking preventive measures, you can help ensure your safety and promote the best possible outcome in the event of a burn injury.

Ouch! You’ve Burned Your Hand on a Pan of Brownies: Now What?

In either case, it’s important to act fast. Quickly plunge that finger into cool water for about five minutes for a first-degree burn, 10 minutes for a second-degree burn. Do not use ice; it could damage tissue. If you happen to have burned a wrist or arm with clothing that sticks to the burn, immerse the entire area into cool water.

Next, be sure to wash the burned area with mild soap and water. Then cover it with sterile gauze. The burn effect doesn’t stop right away; it actually progresses for another 24 to 48 hours, in an evolution of redness, possible blisters, and peeling. Only after it has cooled is it OK to apply an antibacterial ointment or herbal salve, such as the time-tested Aloe vera recipe below.

Don’t slather on the butter! That’s an old wives’ tale and an anti-remedy. Butter retains heat and may be contaminated with bacteria.

The first week in February is Burn Awareness Week sponsored by the American Burn Association. Community educators reach out to raise awareness for prevention and treatment of these minor burns and worse, those occurring from ultraviolet light, hot liquids, fire, electricity, and chemicals.

A third-degree burn is drastic. Called a full-thickness burn, it destroys skin and reaches underlying tissues. Nerves are damaged, causing numbness. Skin may be white or charred. Immediately call 911.

For less serious burns, once the burn has cooled, try the aloe remedy below. It’s survived the test of time, when other ancient cures for burns, including cow dung, beeswax, bear fat, eggs, and lard, landed in the anti-remedy bin. Like butter, those retained heat or were contaminated with bacteria.

Aloe vera gel inhibits pain-producing substances. It is anti-inflammatory, promotes circulation, and inhibits bacteria and fungi. Studies show  that it speeds healing of burns and wounds, and helps the survival of tissue after frostbite. It’s even more effective when paired with lavender essential oil, also anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antibacterial, and antifungal.  You’ll find both at your local health food store. Make sure the aloe product is at least 90 percent aloe gel—only the gel inside the leaf is included.

1. In a small sterile bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera gel with 10 drops lavender essential oil.
2. Apply the paste as needed throughout the day, tightly covering the mixture between uses. You’ll have enough for several applications for a small burn.

Along with aloe, another winning ancient remedy in our book 500 Time-Tested Home Remedies is spreading a minor burn with honey.

Stay well and safe,

The Remedy Chicks

Home burn care do’s and don’ts | UCI Health

Watching fireworks from a safe distance is best, say UCI Health experts.

Have you heard that smearing butter on a burn, pressing a cut potato against it or icing it can help promote healing and ease the pain?

None of these methods are recommended, says Dr. Nicole P. Bernal, a surgeon and burn specialist with the UCI Regional Burn Center. In fact, these age-old home remedies not only don’t work, they also can do more damage to burned skin.

What is the right way to treat a burn? The first thing to consider is how severe it is, says Bernal. Burns are generally classified by the depth of damage to the skin:

First-degree burns

• These burns affect only the skin’s surface, or epidermis, and usually result in redness and mild pain.
• Overexposure to the sun can cause a first-degree burn.

Most first-degree burns don’t require medical attention, says Bernal. She recommends rinsing the burn area with cool water for five to 10 minutes or until the pain subsides. Next, apply a moisturizing lotion and if needed, take an over-the-counter pain reliever for a few days. If the pain doesn’t subside, see a doctor.

Second-degree burns

• These burns penetrate to the second layer of skin, or dermis.
• They are usually bright red with a moist or blistered appearance.
• Scalding with extremely hot water or other liquid may cause this type of burn.
• Some second-degree burns may require a skin graft or skin substitute to heal.

Blistering and sluffing of skin is common with second-degree burns and can become infected, which is why Bernal advises consulting a physician.

Third-degree burns

• These burns involve all layers of the skin and are usually dry or leathery to the touch.
• They can appear ashen or charred black or brown.
• If the burn has damaged nerve endings, the patient may have no sensation of pain.
• Causes can be hot oil, friction, touching hot surfaces such as a stove, curling iron or a motorcycle muffler or even a chemical burn.

These more serious burns can lead to devastating injury, including loss of function or limbs, disfigurement and recurring infection. Severe burns can damage muscles and other tissue that affect every system of the body, and they can result in death.

Third-degree burns need immediate medical attention and often require a skin graft or skin substitute to heal, Bernal says.

Center versed in all aspects of burn care

The UCI Regional Burn Center at UCI Medical Center uses a multidisciplinary team of burn-specialist surgeons, nurses, wound care specialists, physical therapists, social workers, case managers and psychologists to manage all aspects of burn care.

It’s the only burn center in Orange County verified by the American College of Surgeons and the American Burn Association. It includes an inpatient unit and an outpatient clinic.

Treating burns at home

Many minor burns can be treated at home. Bernal offers these do’s and don’ts:

Do:

• Run cool water (not cold or icy) for five to 10 minutes over a burn smaller than your hand.
• Seek medical attention for any burn larger than your hand — fingers to wrist — or if the burn affects the feet, face, eyes or genitalia.
• See a doctor if you have diabetes and you burn your foot.
• Get immediate care if your cell phone or e-cigarette explodes in your pocket, if you fall into a fire pit or any time your clothes catch fire.
• Remove clothing and jewelry near a burn, but don’t try to peel off clothing stuck to the burn.

Don’t:

• Touch or soak a serious burn. Cover it with something dry and get to a hospital or burn clinic.
• Pop blisters. But if they do burst, gently peel away the dead skin so germs don’t have a home to live in.

Treatment for small burns 

For first-degree or second-degree burns smaller than about two inches in diameter, Bernal recommends the following home-treatment steps:

• Wash the area daily with mild soap.
• Apply an antibiotic ointment or dressing to keep the wound moist.
• Cover with gauze or a Band-Aid to keep the area sealed.
• Apply antibiotic ointment frequently to burns in areas that cannot be kept moist.

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Burnt My Fingers – This guy walks into a kitchen and…Burnt My Fingers

Esquites are the better-behaved version of Mexican street corn.

Esquites are the grown-up, raised-pinky version of elotes, the popular “Mexican street corn” ears which are roasted on a grill and slathered with mayonnaise and spices. Because the niblets are off the cob the product is easier to manage and can be served in a bowl alongside other dinner items. Serves 4.

Ingredients
2 ears good quality corn
2 T mayonnaise
2 T chopped cilantro
2 T chopped green onions (including a lot of the green part)
1 t Taijin seasoning or Trader Joe’s Elote seasoning, or chili powder with a splash of lime juice
2 T cotija cheese (use another crumbly white cheese, like feta, if cotija is not available
½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped fine (optional)

Corn niblets and Taijin, caramelizing in the wok for Esquites.

Method: cut the niblets off the corn; you’ll have about 2 c. Heat a wok or cast iron pan very hot and add the corn*; let the corn caramelize until the hot side is a toasty brown. Stir to expose other sides to heat and continue cooking until all surfaces are well caramelized, about 5 minutes total. (Don’t be surprised if a few niblets jump out of the pan, like popcorn.) Mix in seasoning while the corn is still on the fire to toast it a bit, then transfer to a bowl and mix in other ingredients. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

*Thanks to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for this cooking technique.

Purple hull peas make a nice side dish on a plate of fried chicken.

Purple hull peas are prized down south, and this born Southerner is lucky to have a fresh supply locally in upstate New York. They are preferred because they have a less-earthy taste than black eye peas, and also I suspect there’s a snob factor because they’re hard to find. At any rate they’re delicious, especially when prepared fresh using this recipe. Serves 4.

Ingredients
2 c shucked purple hull peas
2 c or more chicken stock or water
2 T bacon fat (we use the really smoky stuff from our Benton bacon)
half a yellow onion, peeled
1 t (or more*) Kosher salt

Shelling peas is meditative but slow. Consider doing when watching TV.

Method: simmer peas in enough water or stock to cover with bacon fat, onion and salt. Cook until peas are tender but not squish and onion has completely cooked down, about 1-2 hours, replenishing water as needed. You should end up with tender peas and a bit of pot liquor. Serve with a green onion to munch on and plenty of pepper sauce.

*Finished dish should be on the salty side, so feel free to add more after tasting.

Cumin Cole Slaw. This stuff’s so good, it was almost gone before i could get a picture.

Cumin Cole Slaw relies on one simple ingredient for a refreshing twist on a classic. We used napa cabbage because we had bought a huge head at H Mart in San Francisco and it turns out napa, aka “Chinese” cabbage, is great for cole slaw because of the way it shreds. Fine to use regular if you don’t have napa or it’s too expensive where you live. (As it in New York, while in California it’s cheaper than green cabbage. Go figure.) Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients
4 cups shredded cabbage, napa or green
¼ c neutral oil
2 T cider vinegar
1 t Kosher salt
½ t ground black pepper
½ t ground cumin

Method: mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Goes great with southern foods like pork chops and black eye peas.

Here are my beers from the Half Time Beverage IPA sampler. Yours are guaranteed to be different.

I first encountered Half Time Beverage through the Extreme Beer Fest in Cyberspace this past winter. I was impressed with the way they packaged the rare (and expensive) beers chosen for tasting. So when I was offered a sample pack in return for writing about them, I jumped at the chance. (Full disclosure: that’s right, I got free beer for writing this article. Life Achievement #47 unlocked!)

Half Time is a retail beer store down the road from me in Poughkeepsie, NY with a second location in Mamaroneck. They have built a very busy side business shipping beers nationwide and it’s surprising how many ZIP codes are eligible. (Depends on alcohol regulations in your state or region.) The selection available for shipment changes frequently, but it’s huge and almost certainly includes beers that are not available to you locally. You can order beers individually or in sample packs and gift packs. I received the IPA sampler pack and of six cans there was only one beer I’d encountered before and I’ve had quite a few IPAs.

Half Time packaging keeps your beers safe and happy en route.

This wondrous convenience does not come cheap. There’s a markup on the beers, and you will have to pay for shipping as well on most items (some items, like gift packs, have shipping built in). If you are a serious beer head like the folks who pony up for $30 four-packs at my local beer store, you probably won’t mind. Right now, though, there is a special underway due to the unfortunate circumstance that their warehouse in Mamaroneck was flooded in last week’s hurricane.

While they last, you can get a “Mystery Box” of IPAs, lagers, sours or mixed craft beers for as low as $12 a six pack. The beers are certified to be clean and tasty. A mystery box (or one of the samplers) is the way I would order anyway… it’s a pleasure to discover a new brewery that makes delicious product. This offer is only good until their flood inventory is sorted out, so don’t wait. And don’t be surprised if you come back for more at their regular prices.

Get your order started at halftimebeverage.com; the link to the mystery boxes is in the top menu and there’s a search box if you want to look for something special. (I was delighted to discover they currently have 3 selections from a recent discovery, Drowned Lands. ) You’ll be asked to input your ZIP code almost immediately to be sure you’re eligible. Cheers!

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Tagged beer, IPA
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Here’s the Babylonian Pigeon Pie you’ll make in the first session of Recreating Ancient Recipes. Photo by Manoocher Deghati.

Gastro Obscura: Recreating Ancient Recipes. We are long time readers of the Gastro Obscura website devoted to arcane food cultures and history, and we noticed they have started offering virtual “experiences” in these times of less getting together in person. Recreating Ancient Recipes is especially interesting: a three-part series in which you will “become a culinary archaeologist as we recreate dishes from ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Rome, and the Mediterranean Middle Ages.” More blurbage from the website:

“Together, we’ll turn our kitchens into vessels for gastronomic time travel, using historical recipes and modern ingredients to create dishes from ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Rome, and the Mediterranean Middle Ages. We’ll focus on the Middle East, Southern Europe, and the Mediterranean region, tracing ancient foodways and trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea and the lasting legacy they had on several regional cuisines. From Babylonian fowl pie to Mustacei, we’ll treat each recipe we cover as a portal to the past, looking at the traditions, culinary innovations, and societal values it was steeped in. We’ll explore how various foods, cooking methods, and notions of “healthy eating” were viewed across time, and what a profession in the food industry of yore may have entailed. By the end of the course, you’ll not only have a deeper understanding of ancient Babylonian, Roman, and Mediterranean cuisines, but also the knowledge and skills to weave elements of them into your own cooking practice.”

Tuition is $235 for three seminars, each of which lasts two hours with the first one on September 25 with “Babylonian: Fowl pie and Mersu”;  registration and more information on this page. The seminar leader is culinary historian Ursula Janssen, whose ancient foods cookbook Garum (affiliate link) can be purchased on Amazon. There’s also an Apple podcast interview with her if you want to brush up on the topic before the seminar (or maybe instead of, if $$ is an issue). Check it out!

Best Way Pesto in its finished state, after cheese and olive oil are added.

Best Way Pesto starts with a mortar and pestle, finishes in a food processor. This creates maximum flavor because the plant cells are broken down through pounding, then chopped into an even consistency which we found was not possible without exposure to a sharp blade. (Kenji has a special mortar and pestle that break up the leaves, but our method works fine with what is already in your kitchen.) Makes about ¾ c, enough for 3 plates of 4 servings of each when tossed with spaghetti along with more oil and parmesan.

Ingredients:
2 c fresh basil leaves, loosely compacted
½ t Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 T walnuts or pine nuts*
½ cup grated Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

This is the best I could do at grinding the basil with mortar & pestle. Leaves are squashed but still discrete.

Method: pound/stir the garlic and salt with the mortar and pestle until pulverized; add nuts and mix to a paste the consistency of peanut butter. Add basil leaves a handful at a time and pound. Transfer to food processor and add cheese and a little oil; blend till smooth then add the additional oil in 2 more steps, blending till smooth each time. If using the same day, transfer to a refrigerator dish and pour a little oil on top so the pesto won’t cover; otherwise spoon ¼ cup at a time onto a piece of plastic wrap then fold up and freeze till needed. When serving, mix with hot cooked pasta adding additional cheese and oil to taste.

*Pine nuts are traditional, but very expensive these days. The nuts are mostly an emulsifier and don’t add a lot of flavor so walnuts are fine.

The yin and yang of In-N-Out: onions, tomato and lettuce are cold, burger, cheese and bun are hot.

On my frequent return trips to San Francisco, I have a routine. The night I arrive (or sometimes the next night, if the trip out has been too long and strenuous) I go to the same In-N-Out and order the same meal, two cheeseburgers with double raw onions, mustard instead of sauce and pickles. (Ideally there will be an order of extra-crispy fries as well, but this trip the hateful Dr. Ludwig shook his finger at that.)

The first bite of this burger is about as close as you can come to nirvana in a public place, and this time I realized one of the key benefits is the juxtaposition of hot and cold elements in a combination that initially perplexes but ultimately delights the palate.

The burger and cheese are warm, of course, and so is the lightly toasted bun. But the lettuce, tomato and onion go straight from the refrigerator to the prep area and are slightly chilled or at worst room temperature. The pickle and mustard, my custom additions, are also chilled. The mouth does not know what to make of this combination and simply opens wider in happy submission.

McDLT styrofoam box, photo courtesy of The Smithsonian.

I am not the first to take note of this appealing balance of opposites: for several years McDonald’s sold the McDLT, a burger in which the lettuce and tomato were literally separated from the burger in a styrofoam tray so the diner could combine them at the critical moment. The McDLT, which was immortalized by a pre-Seinfeld Jason Alexander commercial in 1985, was discontinued in 1996 for environmental concerns.

Please note you cannot experience this bliss in the Animal Style, which we reviewed against our “Texas Burger” a while back. It has grilled onions, eliminating that coolness factor, and the mustard is heated up along with the meat on the griddle. Avoid.

Minita Sanghvi is a Skidmore professor who’s running for office in my town. The long hours of campaigning have kept her from cooking for her six-year old son as often as she’d like, so when she made Minita’s toor dal for him he ate four plates of it. You may do the same—it’s simple but delicious. Makes 8 servings. P.S. If you would like to know more about Minita and her campaign, here is her website

Ingredients:
1 to 1 ½ c* dried toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)
½ t nigella (kalonji) seeds**
½ t cumin seeds
3 T neutral cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced or grated
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped, or more if you like
½ c chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1 large tomato, chopped
¼ t turmeric
1 t Kashmiri red chili powder**
Salt to taste, maybe 1 t
1 T anchur (dried mango) powder**

Method: rinse the dal and simmer in 4 c water until they are tender but still hold their shape, maybe 25 minutes. Drain and reserve. Sauté cumin and nigella seeds in oil till fragrant, then add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until onion is translucent. Add tomato, chili and cilantro and simmer until tomato softens and the mixture clears the bottom of the pan when stirred. Add turmeric and chili powder and simmer for several minutes. Add cooked toor dal, salt to taste and anchur powder plus a little water if too thick. Serve hot over basmanti rice, with a garnish of chopped cilantro.

*Minita starts with 1 ½ c dried toor dal, but I prefer the flavor balance with a lower ratio of dal to spice mixture.
**These spices should be easy to find at a well stocked Indian or Asian market. There are no substitutes.

No Potato Mashed Potatoes, served with some nice midsummer short ribs cooked in stout.

No-Potato Mashed Potatoes are another creation from the laboratory of the irrepressible Dr. Ludwig. They provide a pleasant paleo base for whatever stew or gravy you want to pour on top when you’re avoiding straight carbs. You can taste the cauliflower and beans but the flavor is mild and will complement whatever you serve it with. Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower
1 can (approx 14 ounces) cannellini or other white beans, drained, or 1 ¾ c cooked beans made from dried
2 T olive oil or butter
¾ t Kosher salt
¼ t ground pepper

Method: core the cauliflower and cut into chunks. Steam until the stems are tender, maybe 20-30 minutes. Drain and add drained beans, oil and spices. Mix with an immersion blender (or use a potato masher) to the consistency of coarsely mashed potatoes. Serve hot.

Burns: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Call 911 or the local emergency number if:

• The burn is very large, about the size of your palm or larger.
• The burn is severe (third degree).
• You aren’t sure how serious it is.
• The burn is caused by chemicals or electricity.
• The person shows signs of shock.
• The person breathed in smoke.
• Physical abuse is the known or suspected cause of the burn.
• There are other symptoms associated with the burn.

For minor burns, call your health care provider if you still have pain after 48 hours.

Call a provider right away if signs of infection develop. These signs include:

• Drainage or pus from the burned skin
• Fever
• Increased pain
• Red streaks spreading from the burn
• Swollen lymph nodes

Also call a provider right away if symptoms of dehydration occur with a burn:

• Decreased urination
• Dizziness
• Dry skin
• Headache
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea (with or without vomiting)
• Thirst

Children, older people, and anyone with a weakened immune system (for example, from HIV) should be seen right away.

The provider will perform a history and physical examination. Tests and procedures will be done as needed.

These may include:

• Airway and breathing support, including a face mask, tube through the mouth into the trachea, or breathing machine (ventilator) for serious burns or those involving the face or airway
• Blood and urine tests if shock or other complications are present
• Chest x-ray for face or airway burns
• ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing), if shock or other complications are present
• Intravenous fluids (fluids through a vein), if shock or other complications are present
• Medicines for pain relief and to prevent infection
• Ointments or creams applied to the burned areas
• Tetanus immunization, if not up to date

The outcome will depend on the type (degree), extent, and location of the burn. It also depends upon whether internal organs have been affected, and if other trauma has occurred. Burns can leave permanent scars. They can also be more sensitive to temperature and light than normal skin. Sensitive areas, such as the eyes, nose, or ears, may be badly injured and have lost normal function.

With airway burns, the person may have less breathing capacity and permanent lung damage. Severe burns that affect the joints may result in contractures, leaving the joint with decreased movement and a reduction in function.

2nd-Degree Burns: Photos, Causes, Treatment

How to Treat a 2nd-Degree Burn

The first thing you should do for a 2nd-degree burn is cool the skin to keep the burn from getting worse. You can do this by:

• Running cool water over it
• Putting the burned area in a container of cool water
• Applying a cool compress

Continue cooling the skin until it no longer hurts when you remove the source of the cold, which may take as long as 30 minutes.

No Ice!

Don’t use ice or ice water to cool your skin after a burn as those low temperatures may further damage the tissues.

Treatments for a 2nd-degree burn may include:

• Antibiotic cream, over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription
• Bandaging with gauze or something else that won’t stick to the burn
• Over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen)
• Elevation to prevent inflammation and lessen pain

When to Get Medical Help

Get medical attention for a 2nd-degree burn if:

• The burn is blistered
• You have severe pain
• You develop a fever or other signs of infection
• The burn doesn’t improve in two weeks
• Fluid is leaking from the burned area
• Swelling or redness increase
• The burn is more than 2-3 inches wide
• The burn is on the hands, feet, face, genitals, buttocks, or over a major joint

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take a second-degree sunburn to heal?

Within one to three weeks, a second degree sunburn should be fully healed if it’s treated appropriately and an infection doesn’t develop. Your skin may still be discolored at this point, and there’s a risk of permanent scarring.

How often do you change the dressing for a second-degree burn?

Change the dressing within 48 hours after the wound is first bandaged. If it’s healing well after that, change the dressing every three to five days. However, if the burn area is painful or there’s an odor, change the bandages immediately.

The doctor’s way to treat a minor burn

Blister on finger – Google Images

With one eye on your favourite soapie you get up to take the roast out of the oven. The tea towel you’re using to protect your hands slips – and OUCH! – you’ve burnt your index finger.  

We’ve all had our run-ins with hot objects, and most of us know it’s not necessary to visit the doctor with every minor burn. Burns are classified according to their severity. First degree burns are similar to sunburn with redness of the skin, pain, irritation, redness and even some mild swelling. Second degree burns involve blister formation. Third degree burns involve the deep layers of the skin and should definitely be treated by a doctor.

Treating a small burn involves the following steps:

1. Remove any clothing that covers the area

2. Soak the burn wound in cold water for about 5 minutes

3. Apply cooling cream like after sun or aloe gel to ease the discomfort

4. Take pain relief tablets

5. Cover the area with a bandage for a day or two.

Not all burns should be treated at home. The following should be seen by a doctor:

1. Large burns (even if they are only first degree burns)

2. Burns involving the skin over a joint

3. Burns to the face or genitals

4. Third degree burns (the skin looks white and leathery)

5. Wounds that bleed

6. Electric burns

Read more:

How to avoid burns at home

Protect children from burns

First aid for burns

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5 Quick Tips for Home Treatment

Did you know that putting ice on a burn is dangerous?

Next time you burn yourself, don’t reach for that ice pack. While trying to cool down your burn might be your first instinct, the way you cool it is important.

Burns are common injuries and there is a lot of misinformation about how to treat burns at home. Being prepared and knowing how to safely treat a minor burn is important to keep yourself and your kids safe.

Keep reading for our top 5 tips for at-home burn relief. 

Treating Your Burn at Home

Burns are a common household injury that do not always require medical intervention.

Burns are classified in categories by their severity. First-degree burns are the least severe because only the outer layer of skin is burnt.

Second-degree burns, which cause blisters, affect deeper layers of your skin.

Third-degree burns affect all layers of the skin. Finally, fourth-degree burns can involve the joints and bones.

First and second-degree burns can be treated at home if they are less than three inches in diameter. Larger burns and third and fourth-degree burns require immediate medical attention.

Mild burns usually heal in a week or two. They are unlikely to leave a scar.

It’s important to treat your burn to prevent infection, speed up healing, and reduce pain. 

1. Keep it Cool

If you burn yourself, your first course of action should be to run cool water over the area for 20 minutes. Make sure the water isn’t cold. After 20 minutes, wash the burn with mild soap and water.

You can reduce the pain and swelling of the burnt area by using a cool compress or cool cloth. Apply the compress in 5 to 15-minute intervals. It’s important to make sure the compress is not too cold as this might irritate the burn.  

2. Antibiotics

Use an over the counter antibiotic ointment or cream like Neosporin or Bacitracin to prevent infection of the burn. After applying the product, cover the area with a cling film or a sterile dressing or cloth. 

3. Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe Vera is effective in treating first and second-degree burns.

Applying aloe vera to your burn will help promote healing by reducing inflammation, promoting circulation, and inhibiting the growth of bacteria.

It’s best to use pure aloe vera gel obtained directly from an aloe vera plant. If needed, you can purchase aloe vera gel at a store. 

4. Honey

Applying honey to your burn will help it heal faster. Honey has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. 

5. Pain Reliever

If your burn is causing you pain that is not improved with a cold compress, you can take over the counter pain relievers. Ibuprofen or Naproxen are your best bets.

Read the medication’s label for dosage information.

Severe Burn Relief

If you have a severe burn or these burn relief methods are not working for you, consider seeking medical treatment.

If you experience a severe burn that you believe would be considered a third or fourth-degree burn, seek emergency medical treatment. If your mild burn shows signs of infection, seek treatment as soon as possible. 

Contact us for more information. 

90,000 first aid and treatment at home, what to do, how to smear

A burn is an acute lesion of the skin and tissues under them. Injury occurs from radiation, electric shock, chemical means, after exposure to temperature. At home, burns with boiling water most often occur. If this happens, you need to act immediately, since the depth and area of ​​the lesion, as well as the recovery period, depend on this.

In case of minor damage, first aid for burns with boiling water can be provided at home, but if a 3-4 degree burn is received, you need to urgently call a doctor. Do not open blisters as there is a high risk of infection. You can not smear the burn with sunflower oil, sprinkle with starch, treat with iodine and other liquids with alcohol. All of these mistakes will only aggravate the pain and negatively affect wound healing. If the damage is very deep, there is dirt and fragments of clothing in the wound, it should not be touched until the arrival of the medical team.

Degree of burn

The doctor selects the method of treating burns depending on the degree of damage to the skin.

For burns with boiling water of the first degree, only the upper layers of the skin are affected, accompanied by redness and slight swelling.

The second degree is accompanied by the appearance of blisters filled with a cloudy liquid. The patient may experience severe pain. With proper first aid, scars and other skin changes usually do not remain.

In case of third-degree burns, not only the skin is affected, but also muscle tissue. The blisters fill with blood, the person experiences severe pain, and shock may develop. For third-degree burns, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Treatment takes place in a hospital setting.

The fourth degree for burns with boiling water is rare. This is a deep lesion of the skin and muscle tissue up to the bones with carbonization of the latter. The condition is very serious and requires immediate hospitalization.

Timely and qualified medical care will help significantly improve the patient’s condition, reduce or prevent the risk of infection, and significantly accelerate tissue recovery.

The main stages of first aid for burns

In the first minutes after the injury, the victim panics, is in confusion and shock. And he and those around him need to remember the basic rules of action for a burn with boiling water – first aid is provided in the following sequence:

1. Take off wet clothes, the most dangerous fabric is synthetics. Do not be afraid to tear the fabric, you need to get rid of it in the very first seconds – tear it, cut it with scissors, trying not to touch the swollen bubbles.
2. Place the affected area under medium pressure of cold tap water. You can fill a container of a suitable size if you need to cool your hand or foot. Water will reduce pain, reduce swelling, and cool the tissues closest to the injured area.
3. After 15 minutes, blot the damaged area with a lint-free napkin, apply a sterile bandage. The latter should not rub and crush, especially in the presence of blisters.

Correct first aid for burns with boiling water

In order to properly provide first aid for burns with boiling water, you need to try to determine the degree of damage, since further actions depend on this.One of the degrees of burn can be determined by the characteristic features:

1. Slight redness without blistering causing slight discomfort.
2. Blisters with yellow fluid appeared, the pain is severe.
3. In addition to the large number of blisters, the skin begins to peel off. The pain syndrome is significant, the damaged skin looks like a red wound, and the dead tissue looks like gray or dark scabs.
4. More than 50% of the body is affected. This is the most severe case in which the victim experiences painful shock.In areas of deep burn, scars and ulcers are formed. The recovery will take a long time, there will be defects on the skin.

From boiling water usually there are no 4th degree burns, more often injuries are limited to 1–2 degrees, rarely – to the third.

What exactly shouldn’t you do?

If you are going to provide first aid at home for a burn with boiling water, you need to remember once and for all, which in no case should you do. Improper wound treatment causes the opposite effect, worsens the condition, and leads to complications.In a home first-aid kit, everyone should have ambulances for burns with boiling water, and it’s good if they are not useful, otherwise you will be able to immediately react. Forbidden:

• Apply ointment, oil and grease to burnt skin. This leads to tissue infection;
• Treat the burn with iodine, alcohol, potassium permanganate. Alcohol funds only increase the pain, not help;
• apply ice. Apart from frostbite of tissues, there will be no effect;
• to pierce bubbles.

It is necessary to call a doctor immediately if the size of the burn is larger than the palm of an adult, if after 2 days signs of tissue infection appear, as well as at 3-4 degrees of the burn.

Adequate medical care

After immersion in cold water for 15 minutes, the risk of the lesion spreading to adjacent tissues is reduced. A person who provides first aid for a burn with boiling water should treat his hands with an antibacterial compound. Next, you need to apply an antiseptic bandage to the victim’s wound.Special impregnation will prevent infection and speed up the healing process. There are dressings with a coarse-mesh structure and special impregnation, they are left on the skin for up to 3 days, which excludes frequent dressings.

Over the antiseptic dressing, it will not hurt to apply a patch to improve fixation and additionally protect the damaged area from accidental bruises. Instead of an antiseptic, you can use an ointment dressing for burns, which will reduce the risk of inflammation and provide an optimal environment for tissue healing.Thanks to special remedies for scalding with boiling water, you can provide timely first aid at home.

Folk remedies

Boiling water burns are one of the most common types of domestic injuries, so you need to know how to properly provide first aid to the victim. Using homemade home remedies is unacceptable – it can only aggravate the situation. In case of severe pain syndrome, you can give the victim an anesthetic pill, after consulting a doctor.

Lotions and compresses

For first aid for minor burns with boiling water, immediately place the affected area under running cold water for 10 minutes. Before applying a bandage to the injury site, thoroughly disinfect your hands. An antiseptic “Sterillum” is suitable for this.

If we are talking about first and second degree burns, you can cover the site of the lesion with a wound-healing dressing with Peruvian Branolind-N balm.It has a coarse-celled structure, which allows it to absorb well discharge from the wound, and the balm accelerates healing. The dressing can be on the wound for up to three days, so the dressings will not cause much concern to the victim.

For reliable and gentle fixation of the dressing on the wound, use a sterile plaster with a soft absorbent pad “Cosmopor E”. The vapor-permeable fixation bandage is attached to the body using hypoallergenic glue.

Homemade ointments

Remember that treatment with folk remedies will not bring the desired result! In this way, at best, you can delay the healing process, and at worst, cause a secondary infection.

When a doctor’s help is required

A doctor should be consulted in the following cases:

• Third or fourth degree burns of any size;
• burns of the first or second degree, if the affected area is large;
• a child or elderly person was injured.

In all these cases, it is recommended to seek qualified medical help as soon as possible.

Useful advice from specialists

Below are the recommendations of traumatologists on how to properly provide first aid for burns with boiling water.We advise you to keep the step-by-step instructions so that in an emergency you do not get confused, but immediately take all the necessary measures:

1. Cooling. Cell destruction continues for some time after exposure to boiling water, so the burn is immediately placed under cold water. Such a simple method will reduce the depth of the lesion by an entire degree (a 2nd degree burn can go to 1, etc.).
2. Pain relief. An analgesic is taken by mouth or an injection is given. Nothing anesthetic should be applied to the wound.
3. Antiseptic treatment. An antiseptic cream or ointment should be in your home medicine cabinet. From above, the ointment is covered with a sterile bandage. Alcohol-containing liquids are strictly prohibited – because of them, partially damaged tissue cells will die.

Please note that traditional methods of treating burns with boiling water not only do not work, but also carry potential harm. This applies to applying toothpaste, lubricating the wound with a raw egg, goose fat and other improvised means.Modern science and pharmacology offer effective treatments. And if there is a burn with boiling water, first aid at home is provided only with the help of specially designed sprays, ointments and dressings.

To understand the essence of the action of drugs and to observe precautions when treating wounds, it is important to understand a little about human physiology. Conditionally pathogenic microorganisms constantly live on the skin. With a decrease in immunity, the infection receives a “green light”.Due to a burn, the skin loses its local immunity, and opportunistic microbes become pathogenic. This is fraught with wound infection, suppuration and associated complications.

A burn is a primarily infected wound that requires proper care – antiseptic treatment and a sterile dressing. Small bubbles do not need to be pierced – they contain a sterile fluid, thanks to which the infection will not penetrate into the wound. For the first three days, it is advisable to keep the bubbles intact.If the blisters are large, the doctor will release the contents because of the risk of suppuration. After opening the bladder under sterile conditions, its walls fall off and adhere to the skin, like a natural bandage. Further rules for the care of damaged skin will be announced by a specialist.

90,000 Fingers without prints. How people who do not have these biometric data live

• Mir Sabbir
• BBC Bengal

December 26, 2020

Photo caption,

At least four generations of this family did not have fingerprints

Apu Sarker shows me his palm via video link.At first glance, the appearance of this resident of Bangladesh is nothing unusual, but upon closer inspection, I notice unusually smooth fingertips.

Apu is 22 years old and lives with his family in a village in the north of the country, in Nator district. Until recently, he worked as an orderly. His father and grandfather were farmers.

Men in the Apu family appear to have an extremely rare genetic disorder that occurs in a few people around the world: they do not have fingerprints.

Grandfather Apu did not consider it to be something important. “I don’t think he saw a problem at all,” says Apu.

But in recent years, tiny fingertip patterns known as dermatoglyphs have become extremely valuable biometric information that various departments need.

They are now used at every step – from the passage of security personnel at the airport to voting and unlocking a mobile phone.

In 2008, when Apu was still a boy, Bangladesh introduced identity cards that every adult citizen of the country must have.To register such a document, a thumbprint was required.

Astonished government officials did not understand how to write a card for Father Apu Amal Sarker. As a result, he received a certificate stamped WITHOUT FINGERPRINT.

But in 2010, it became necessary to take fingerprints when obtaining a passport and driver’s license. Amal did not manage to get a passport right away – and only after he provided a medical certificate about his unique disease.

Photo caption,

There are no prints at the fingertips of Amal Sarker

However, Amal never used this passport to travel abroad, including because he was afraid of problems when passing control at the airport.

And although he needs to ride a motorcycle for work, he was never able to get a license. “I paid the required amount, passed the exam, but they didn’t give me my license because I couldn’t get my fingerprints,” says Amal.

As proof that he has a driver’s license, Amal carries a toll receipt with him everywhere, but this does not work for all police officers: he has already had to pay a fine twice.

Although he explained why he could not get the document – and even showed the police his bare fingertips, the fines were not canceled. “In such cases, I am always very uncomfortable,” says Amal.

In 2016, the family faced a new problem. Those wishing to buy a new SIM card for a mobile phone were obliged to submit fingerprints, which stores are required to compare with a nationwide database.

“When I needed a SIM card, they did not understand what was happening. Their program kept hanging when I put my finger on the fingerprint sensor,” Apu smiles.

As a result, he did not manage to buy a card, so now all the men in the family use mobile numbers registered to his mother.

A rare genetic disorder that affects this family is called adermatoglyphia.

She was first talked about in 2007, when a woman who was unable to enter the United States contacted the Swiss dermatologist Peter Itin. Her face matched a passport photo, but US border officials were unable to take her fingerprints.Because she simply didn’t have them.

After examining the situation, Professor Itin found that other members of her family still had the same strange condition – smooth fingertips and fewer sweat glands in their hands.

Itin, along with another dermatologist, Eli Spreher and university graduate Jana Nussbeck, studied the DNA of 16 members of this family – seven of them had fingerprints and nine did not.

“Such cases are extremely rare, there is data only on a very small number of families,” – said Itin in an interview with the BBC.

Photo caption,

Amal and Apu: we inherited the absence of fingerprints from our father

In 2011, these scientists identified the SMARCAD1 gene, a mutation of which in nine members of this Swiss family resulted in the absence of fingerprints.

Apparently, the mutation has no other health consequences.

Professor Sprecher says that no one knew about the mutation for so long, because science did not know about the existence of this gene itself.

The mutation changes only a certain part of the gene, which seemed to have no purpose, like the entire gene as a whole, the expert says.

The disease received the official name adermatoglyphia, but Professor Itin called it not so scientifically, but more understandably: “Migration Retardation Disorder”.

Uncle Apu Sarker Gopesh lives 350 kilometers from the capital of the country, he had to seek the issuance of a passport for several years.

“In the last couple of years, I have had to travel to Dhaka four or five times to make them believe that I really have this disease,” says Gopesh.

The office where he works recently started using fingerprints to register before the start of the shift, so he had to persuade his superiors to be allowed to register in the attendance book the old way.

A doctor in Bangladesh diagnosed members of this family with congenital palmoplantar keratoderma, which, according to Professor Itin, developed into adermatoglyphia.

This condition can also cause dry skin and reduced sweating of the hands and feet, all of which are reported by the Sarkers.

Itin is ready to help members of this family with genetic tests to learn more about their disease.

The test results will help Sarkers understand exactly what is happening in their bodies, but they will still find it difficult to live in a modern world without fingerprints.

Society is increasingly demanding biometric information from them, which they simply do not have.

Photo author, Getty Images

Photo caption,

In India, voters are fingerprinted before voting

Amal Sarker says that most of his life he has not experienced any problems, but his children will have much more difficult.

“I can’t do anything about it, I got it by inheritance, – he says. – But now my son and I have because of this very difficult in many ways.”

Amal and Apu provided the authorities with medical certificates of their illness and were able to obtain identity documents. These cards, however, use other biometric information: a scan of their pupil and face parameters.

But they still can’t buy a new SIM card or get a driver’s license. And issuing a passport becomes a very long and tedious procedure.

“I’m tired of explaining the situation over and over again. I’ve asked many people what to do, but no one really can say anything,” Apu admits.- Someone says – go to court. If all else does not work, I will have to do so. “

Apu hopes he can get a passport because he would love to travel abroad. But he hasn’t started the process yet.

Photos courtesy of the Sarker family.

Sentences with the word “burnt”

We found 80 sentences with the word “burnt.” Also see the synonyms for “burnt.”
Meaning of the word

• Captain Yazko burned ass and legs, but remained in the ranks.
• I don’t know what it was, but burned to my throat.
• The skin was burning, I burned my entire face and hands, but I wanted to sleep even more.
• Almost burned his hands while climbing on them.
• A gust of cold autumn wind burned the child’s skin under the raised shirt, and he twitched all over from cold and pain.
• One day at the end of December 1942, taking out a pot of stew from the stove, I burned my hand badly on a hot door .
• Keitel has already burned fingers in cases of this kind, and his usual reaction to such statements was known.
• Multicolored and shimmering, it bewitched Alyosha, burned with the glitter of naked beauty.
• Apparently, some kind of passion reigned over him at one time, and he somehow took a candle and burned his hand.
• But when I tried it, only burned ‘s face.
• I burned wool and ate this skin with such a taste that I never had such an appetite for anything else in my life.
• Dad said that my forehead was so hot that he almost burned his hand when he touched it.
• But as soon as he approached, a bunch of burning straw fell directly on him from the burning roof and burned the peasant’s hand tightly .
• The officers lined them up and ordered them to jump into a huge barrel of disinfectant, which burned Tibor’s eyes and nose.
• Then he dared, on purpose burned his hand with acid and was set free.
• Although luck saved most of the time, Davy blasted his eyes and burned ‘s hand with molten potash.
• Having extinguished my clothes, I rushed to the stern again, grabbed the can and poured the burning liquid into the sea, and severely burned my fingers.
• Finally, after some confusion and angry exclamations from those who burned fingers , each guy carried a burning torch on his outstretched hand.
• And shame burned me so badly that, remembering something in those days, I thought: “Oh yes, that was before the shame on the ruler.”
• Once the whip, like acid, burned my neck and ear, but I just involuntarily clenched and tried to close.
• I took a sip of whiskey, burned palate and throat and almost suffocated.
• There were no casualties, only the culprit of the fire, who fell asleep by the stove, burned his hand and, blown away from pain, covered the burn with cold sand.
• Back in Sverdlovsk, I saw a major who apparently used an unregulated mask and burned his lungs with oxygen.
• Little “bulldog” burned palm with icy cold.
• The entire body of the unfortunate man was burned o, blackened, swollen and covered with blisters and purulent abscesses.
• The frost was severe, burned my face and hands began to freeze, someone put mittens on me and covered my face with a hat.
• However, everything was useless, and when trying to land the Spaniards were met with a rain of arrows with burned with and arrowheads.
• They immediately recognized me, despite the terrible appearance, my face was burned by the sun, blue linen blouse and bright red chintz cap on my head.
• Astonished, you gaze intently with tremendous surprise at how he does not manage to burn fingers .
• Hot gases burned their skin, instantly covered with huge burn blisters, and penetrated the respiratory tract.
• After a while, the carts are returned with fired with and red bricks, and they are laid row by row.
• His face looked like burned , and his reddened eyes glittered feverishly.
• Shulgin with surprise unfolded the form and the typewritten lines scattered on the sheet, burned eyes.
• But while all this was settled, the empress stood for over an hour on her knees, holding the head of a moaning violently burned foot .
• A week ago, at Vostok station, I saw people wrapped in fur clothes, sweaters pulled up to their eyes: otherwise frost would burn lungs.
• Visitors walked several hundred steps along the road paved with and baked with bricks, laid in the heavenly shade of plane trees.
• It wasn’t her that scared them the most. burned back, festering wound or skin covered with bites.
• Once he came from the construction site of the stadium in Luzhniki with a red face, , burned by sun.
• On the door there is a house number with burnt with ace and dry leaves.
• Hitler’s hair was burnt, his right arm was partially paralyzed, was burned and his right leg was damaged and the eardrums were damaged.
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• I went to the hospital at school, approached a seriously wounded man, face burned o, legs were torn off, conscious.
• However, was burned by the war, the time is too harsh to be closely attentive to the fate, and even more so to their archival remains.
• And it ended up that my skin just came off my tongue, and a little was burned on my throat.
• On the set of Tselikovskaya, her eyes were crippled: she could not blink in her false eyelashes, and the most powerful spotlights burned lenses.
• They took him somewhere, robbed him and pushed him into the transformer box, burned with current.
• Apparently, the truth is so hot that it can burn badly.
• The next day I was told that she had burned on more than 40% of the body surface.
• He swore to Cyrus that unknown gods came to his native shore from the bowels of the earth and burned the earth with fire.
• Judging by the burned by the sun, these wrinkled faces were peasant women from some southern province.
• Masha’s vanity was burned o and swollen like a blister, and any touch to the blister caused a flash of anger, because it hurt.
• Still in Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” we meet: “And, like fire burned a, / she stopped.”
• The parts are heavy, and do not touch them, I will burn tons of frost so that my hands stick.
• Summer was in full swing, and my skin was badly burned by the sun (I, however, called it a tan).
• Each of them is molded of clay, is fired , covered with a special organic compound and painted.
• One of them was wounded, the other was badly burned .
• But he found the time burned and turned his fingers through books and textbooks, studied.
• Perhaps more than once I will burn I will burn my restless fingers.
• Grain, cleaned and dried in drafts or in the sun, was transported to barns made of wood or fired red bricks.
• And the rest of the body was burned by about 78 percent.
• On the Kursk Bulge, he was burned , lay wounded and died, and he saw the Protection of the Mother of God above him.
• These grins burned her , as if she really had betrayed her senior lieutenant.
• Then the diaries of Zinaida Nikolaevna will be published and I will burn tons of all with my fierce pain.
• Having learned in was burned by the officer of the captain Eustathius, hated by all the lower ranks, the sailors grabbed the oars to beat him to death.
• At first, the nomads laughed at them, then beat them on their backs with sticks so that burned skin slid, exposing the flesh.
• That red comet rushed away from us, and we were left in the thickening haze with burned by and souls.
• Especially the number with a bathtub behind the gun was burned so badly that it fell.
• Craven conceived the story of the new Scarecrow, the monstrous Freddy Krueger with burned by face and blades on his fingers.
• He was badly burned , but survived, and the terrorist who threw the bomb died on the spot.
• This stove is made of clay and, well baked , is sold separately in the bazaar.
• I took these four pilots with me, two of whom were also slightly wounded, and the third burned , put them in the back and drove back.
• Then she drank a glass of fiery vodka and in a rage began to sing with the torn off, burned by throat.
• I was dirty, cold and burned with nettles, but I could swim.
• After removing the tracheostomy tube, we inserted a rigid bronchoscope into the burned larynx.
• Leaving Yad Vashem, breaking free from the clutches of the Holocaust, look around, the soul is burned Naya, at the trees of the Righteous.
• Simka poured with weakened streams on burned place on the leg, the pain subsided.
• The moon shone brightly on the sites of recent fires: piles of burned foot bricks, smoldering brands and abandoned broken household belongings.
• He straightened his white cap, blotted the corner of his apron on his burned lip and marched towards us with his head held high.
• Otherwise, a powerful stream of ultraviolet radiation at this height in a few minutes will burn skin to blisters.
• Above the lighted candles, which people held in their hands, wrapping each one with a paper collar, so as not to burn fingers, umbrellas were opened.
• It wasn’t until a little later that we noticed that, despite the precautions, burned hands, but nothing serious.

Source – introductory fragments of books with liters.

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How to remove a burn from an iron

Treatment prognosis

Severity of burns

Burn area

Treatment of I and II degree iron burns at home

First aid

Child’s burn

Pharmacy preparations

Folk remedies

A burn is damage to the tissues of the skin.The reason may be high temperature (more than 55 ° C), chemicals, electric current or radiation (light, ionizing). In domestic conditions, hand burns from the iron often occur.

Treatment prognosis

The prognosis of treatment depends on the severity of the burn, its area, the condition of the victim’s body, as well as the presence of other injuries and diseases.

The severity of the burns

The depth of the lesion is distinguished:

1. I degree.The surface layer is injured, but not completely. There is redness (erythema), severe pain, slight swelling. The duration of treatment is from 2 to 4 days, no traces remain.
2. II degree. The skin surface is completely damaged. Severe pain is felt, minor blisters (vesicles) form. Under them (upon opening) erosion is bright red. The treatment period is 1-2 weeks, there are no scars.
3. IIIA degree. The deep skin layers are partially damaged. A scab appears quickly (black-brown dry crust).There may be large blisters (bullae). The sensitivity to pain is reduced. Healing is not always possible and is highly dependent on the presence and number of intact deep sections.
4. IIIB degree. All layers of the skin die. The fatty tissue can also be damaged.
5. IV degree. Charring of the skin, often fiber, muscles and bones.

Almost all iron or kettle burns are grade I or II.

Burn area

The size of the affected area (in percentage) affects the index of severity of the lesion (ITP).Since the iron burn is superficial, 1% of the wound area is taken as 1% ITP. Since ITP is likely to be less than 30% of body area, the prognosis is favorable.

When a person over 50 is affected, the “rule of a hundred” is used. The sum is determined: the patient’s age (years) plus the affected area (%). A result of less than 60 gives a favorable prognosis, 61-80 – a relatively favorable one.

The area of ​​the burn is determined in several ways. At home, the most convenient is the palm rule.According to him, the area of ​​the palm (not to be confused with the brush, fingers “do not count”) is 1-1.2% of the body area of ​​the same (!) Person (that is, it is wrong to measure the child’s burn with the mother’s palm). To obtain results, it is enough to visually compare the sizes.

Superficial burns with an area of ​​no more than 10-12% (for old people and children – up to 5-6%) proceed in the form of a local process, systemic disorders (affecting the entire body) are not observed.

At home, you can treat 1st degree burns with an area of ​​up to 10% and 2nd degree – up to 1%.In all other cases, as well as in case of severe pain, it is necessary to call an ambulance.

Treatment of burns with an iron of I and II degrees at home

First aid

In case of a burn with an iron immediately after injury, you must:

• Stop contact with hot surface or steam immediately (if victim is unable to do so).
• The affected surface should be cooled with ice or cold water for 10-20 minutes.After a thermal burn, heated tissues are destroyed for some time even after the elimination of the damaging factor.
• Gently apply a clean, damp dressing to protect the wound.
• If the victim is in shock, give an anesthetic and warm drink, put on his back and cover with a warm blanket.

It is recommended to wash the wound with Furacilin or Chlorhexidine (solutions) or lubricate with ointment (Panthenol, Rescuer, Levomekol, Betadine and others).

Do you need to pop the bubbles? No, infection is possible. If they are large, you can undermine the edge, remove the liquid, and be sure to attach the skin to the wound.

Burn in a child

Children’s skin is more delicate, so the wounds are deeper and take longer to heal. Post-burn shock is more common than in adults.

It is advisable to select medicines that are non-hormonal, with natural ingredients.In case of II degree of damage, the child must be shown to the doctor.

First aid for injuring babies:

• Check the entire body, there may be burns not only to the visible parts.
• If there are no blisters, rinse the wound with running water. If there is, do not rinse.
• Apply Panthenol to the skin.
• Cover with gauze soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• Give an age-appropriate analgesic.

In all cases, you must immediately call a doctor.

Pharmacy preparations

Over-the-counter medications can be used to treat grade I and II burns at home. Ointments, gels, creams, aerosols are used. The list of them is extensive, listing even a small fraction with an indication of the main properties is a topic for a separate article. If there is a problem, it is better to go to the pharmacy and consult a pharmacist. The product must have analgesic, regenerating and antiseptic properties.

Folk remedies

A burn cannot be treated with vegetable fats (cream, sour cream, kefir) or oils. Because of this, the wound heals worse, because the temperature of the skin in this place rises, heat transfer worsens.

As an alternative to pharmacological drugs, you can try well-proven folk remedies:

• Lightly beaten egg white. Smear the wound, do not rinse, let it peel off after it dries.With II degree – beat the protein with yolk, apply 3-5 r / day.
• Finely grated raw potatoes, can be added with 0.5 tsp. honey. Make a compress for 1.5-2 hours. 4-5 r / day.
• Aloe leaf without peel. Apply to the wound, with fixation.
• Vitamin E. Lubricate the wound and drink it according to the instructions.
• From bubbles – a decoction of linden flowers (rinse).
• Compresses from a decoction (1: 2) of oak bark.

Correct actions for iron burns will avoid complications and quickly heal the wound.

Healing powers of traditional medicine

Based on materials from feldsher.ru

When I had a cold, my parents, I remember, poured onion juice into my nose – I was two years old and I screamed. I remember how they wanted to pierce my ears, my mother took me to the pharmacy to her girlfriend and for some reason she began to rub my earlobes with salt – I again screamed like crazy. Then the ears did not heal for a long time, because they rubbed everything there until the wounds, which then festered. And about the treatment of colds and remembering laziness – all anti-medical methods have been tried on me: mustard in socks, and Kalanchoe in the nose, and boiling legs in boiling water, and wrapping, giving in to frying at high temperatures.As soon as I survived with these educated people!

Below, citizens recall how they were tortured, treated, tortured in childhood.

“When a bee or a wasp stings, a swollen arm or leg floated to me in a decoction of parsley. I was stung by a wasp as a teenager, my friend’s mother gave me a diazolin pill, and the swelling subsided, and the itching stopped within an hour.His mother, in an hour. The first thought was “maybe my grandmother hates me”, how is that? “

“Sore throat very often – sore throat, runny nose, etc. Dad read about a universal folk remedy – a quarter of a green (unripe) walnut. I agreed only on the condition that he will eat it with me. As a result, a burn of the mucous membrane, loss of voice for both. ”

“And in my childhood, 90% of all diseases were treated by washing the stomach with three liters of salted water … Does your stomach hurt? We wash the stomach.My head hurts? We wash the stomach. Tired and lay down to sleep during the day? Something is wrong and you need to rinse your stomach. According to my grandmother, I was sick all the time, I was all worn out with me, saved my life. “

“They burned my skin on my feet with dry mustard. They put it on my socks, put it on, woolen on top. And they didn’t let me take it off for a day. As a result, the socks came off along with the skin.”

“My grandmother’s all childhood dripped into her nose alternately the juice of onion and garlic, regardless of whether he was sick or not.“ So that he was healthier. ”As a result, all the taste and smell receptors are completely beaten off from the husband.Although this has its advantages. It doesn’t matter to him what is – medium-rare steak or oatmeal for water. Saving. But still, I feel sorry for the man. “

“Very weathered (cracked) hands were smeared with grated garlic when I was 6 years old. It hurt like hell, but everyone thought that I was crying because I was capricious. After a couple of procedures, they still realized that this only makes it worse. Mosquito bites with salt they smeared so as not to scratch. As a rule, they smeared already combed ones, that is, they poured salt on the wound. It was useless to rebel. “

“A colleague was treating her child’s corn. She made a compress with garlic. The child ached with pain under the compress after a whole day’s burn. She tied aloe leaves (wtf?) To treat the burn. When everything began to rot, she went with the child to the hospital.”

“Pfff, salagi. Treat sore throat by gargling with urine, this is hardcore from grandma.”

“Pfft, salaga. As a child, they made me drink the blood of a freshly killed bird (like a sparrow, only no. MB tit). The type was weak in childhood and often got sick from this.”

“At the age of 16, angina, as always 39. Dad makes pepper and vodka, and drinks his son. In the morning over 40, I could not speak, hello ambulance, while dad.

Yes, I forgot, guys sometimes get thin, and we don’t like it. But beer with sour cream and fresh egg solved the problem. Salmonella, a week p-al booty under himself in the hospital, became even more emaciated, and as always, while daddy. “

“My grandmother advised to eat herring and not drink – so the worms will come out.”

“One of the terrible childhood memories is the overheard of my grandmother’s advice to my mother:” If the chota blah blah blah, then you need to cut the skin crosswise on your finger and attach a half of raw potatoes, on which you also make a crosswise cut. “I remember how I cried and asked my mother not to do this. Apparently, she understood that there were microbes and everything. I still don’t know why (or for what) this advice. Could this be a quick guide to turning into a potato man? In a Belarusian? “

“As a child, when I got measles, one creature told my parents that measles would” come out “if everything in the room was red … That night I almost died. And my parents finally went to the doctor. The paradox is, that they are people of enlightenment, teachers.I hate red. It brings me back to the horror of impotence, agonizing pains and debilitating insomnia. “

“My mother is a pharmacist. But as a child, she treated me for colds exclusively with boiled milk and beer. A bottle of Baltika No. 6 for half a liter of milk, boil and drink everything. And the nose and stomach were cleansed instantly.”

“My husband had the most trash. When he broke his leg, his grandmother in the village smeared her with medicinal mud for a WEEK! Then they just took her to the regional center to the hospital. …

“My father (God grant him health) cured me like that! I came from the army on vacation and he looked me in the eyes and said, your son has a fungus on his feet! I say yes, it seems no, everything is fine ! And he says in the eyes I see that you are lying and smeared my feet with some kind of hellish mixture of manganese and vinegar!

“As a child, I was treated for a cold in the following way – a bag in which two hot chicken eggs were placed on the nose, so that the wings of the nose were warmed up.They stopped doing this after they left me a burn all over my nose, the scar still remains a little. “

“My grandmother had a super recipe for the throat – KEROSINE! The same recipe I had when I accidentally caught head lice in the summer. Spread kerosene on my head and wrap it in a bag and put the child to sleep !!! Yes, I physically felt like an insect in running in panic and yelling in inhuman voices !!!! As a result, a 7-year-old child at 3 am went to boil water and wash off all this disgrace. Needless to say that half of the hair and scalp fell off along with the insects? Thanks to the grandmothers for our happy childhood! ”

“When I was small (7-8 years old) I caught a cold and they forced me to drink my own urine with honey, Karla !!! I refused and hid behind the wall (cabinets) as soon as possible, it was difficult to get to me there and just freaked out and beaten …But since then I hate “traditional medicine” fiercely, burn it with a blue flame, the fucking middle ages! “

“My mother cured my chronic rhinitis along with the mucous membrane in my nose – his mother dripped his onion juice. It was more than twenty years ago, but I remember it as if yesterday. Now I am a mother myself. The child is small, forgive me, he has constipation and this is normal for his age. Mom and her mother-in-law are trying to stuff the child’s ass with soap. It’s horror. ”

“Soap in the ass – this method is passed down from generation to generation.Some time ago, being present in a young get-together, I heard the wonderful “Well, that’s why she always cries when I put a piece of soap in her ass?” The young mother for some reason reacted extremely inadequately to the offer to shove soap in herself and check, thus, why the baby does not like it, so all was so indignant. “

“The aunt from the husband’s side took out the wart to her son with vinegar essence. She wet the cotton wool and shook it for a day. The son yelled, and she said” Be patient. “When they unwound there was already a bone.Now the guy is walking with an ugly twisted finger. “

“A couple of months ago I went to a call, where my grandmother was treating the child for an abrasion on the knee with her own urine. The child developed sepsis. He told about the need for urgent hospitalization, to which the grandmother and mother said that they did not trust the doctors (but the fuck they called ?!). to hospitalize a child with a PDN inspector and some aunt from the guardianship authorities. ”

“And breathe on a living frog with a sore throat?”

“I somehow caught a cold and coughed violently.Why take a child to the hospital? Why go to the pharmacy and spend money on pills when there is a fucking folk remedy! Onion honey. In general, onions are cooked with sugar. My mother tried to make me eat 2 liters of this folk remedy. I cried, vomited, and she forced me. The cough never went away. And yes, my mother is also a teacher. “

“I still associate all diseases with a Vietnamese racer. Everything was smeared.”

“A solution of potassium permanganate, that was torture. A warm two-liter jar of pink hell.God forbid it was to tell my grandmother that my stomach hurts. You drink it, you vomit like hell with wild pains all over your insides, you drink it again. I think my grandmother was preparing me for captivity in the Gestapo, or adult life, I still do not understand. “

“My grandmother gave me a drink once with a decoction of potato flowers, because my stomach ached, I was probably 8-9 years old. I told her at that time that this should not be drunk. She made her drink, she is older, that means she is smarter. As a result, 3 weeks in the hospital. If I had drunk more, I might not have written here already. “

“My brother has bronchial asthma. His mother forced him to breathe steam of hot potatoes for colds, which is strictly forbidden for asthma. My brother was taken to the intensive care unit several times – blue and does not breathe. “grandmother”, twice was a foot in the next world. ”

“During a cold, my mother told me to breathe over a pot of boiling water. Covering myself with a towel so that the steam does not go out. I awkwardly turned my head, the towel caught the pot and all the boiling water poured out on me.Mom was worried and remembered that it was necessary to rub the burn with oil, well, sunflower seeds were left. The effect was the opposite. As a result, in the hospital for a couple of weeks “

“My grandmother mixed goat fat into fresh goat milk, warmed up to 80 degrees. From one sip of this shit I ran to the nearest bushes (it was in the village, in my yard), plus I also burned my throat because to cool all this is impossible, the fat will solidify and will not “envelop the bronchi.” This execution was repeated every night, throughout the illness.Grandma is a paramedic, by the way, yeah. “

“The construction is being assembled – my baby body is put in front of the bath, a pot of boiling water is placed on the edge of the bathtub (BATH EDGE!), All this is covered with a quilted jacket. The result is scars for life, mostly due to the fact that the bandages were then pulled out of the skin. Pinworms: garlic enema. The first sore throat in life: more than a month “baby live on her own immunity.”

“An acquaintance at the age of 12 had varicose veins of the scrotum, or whatever it is called.Well, they took him to his grandmother. She had two teeth – one on top, the other on the bottom, and she bit the boy’s balls with these teeth for a long time. There are five such treatments. “

“for Hoffa’s disease (swelling on the knee), the knee was lubricated with the mother’s menstrual blood”

“They treated me for a cough with an iron – my feet warmed up. Well, at least there was a thin blanket between my feet and a hot monster.”

“An enema with garlic water is bullshit, I can tell you. But my momma brought a wonderful recipe from someone: rub 2 cloves of garlic, squeeze the juice, wrap cotton wool around a match, generously dip in undiluted (!!!) garlic juice and in the evening for about 2 minutes to push into the anus of a 4-year-old child.This, skk, is real hell. Try to stick in a heated soldering iron – the sensations, I think, will be similar, albeit softer than a garlic plug. God, how I howled! How afraid I was of this procedure, every evening – like to Calvary (((Mom only a couple of years later came up with a bright idea – to try the procedure on herself. all the horror of what she exposed me. “

“Write down: to improve immunity.In a three-liter jar of water, put three tablespoons of sour cream, banana skins, sugar to taste. and put it on for a week. take the child 1 piece, threaten to force him to drink this swill. in the future, the child will steadfastly endure all the diseases so that God forbid, the mother does not think that his immunity is bad. “

“My grandmother raised me at 6 in the morning and gave me a few pieces of bacon so that I could swallow them without chewing. In theory, I should have lost weight.”

“When a strange rash went through my body and I combed everything into the blood, she treated me by pouring very salty water.Indescribable feelings. Only after three days of bullying they took them to the regional center where, praise the gods, they prescribed a normal ointment. “

“I was stupidly afraid of potatoes with steam. The small one was clamped, covered with a blanket and forced to breathe until the blood ran through her nose. Shouted, roared, but held on. to a child’s hysterics, if they saw that this “treatment” is so much pain.

“As a child, I often had boils (boils).Someone (a kind person, obviously) suggested a method of treatment to my mother. In general, an adhesive plaster is glued to the boil (not bactericidal at all, but such a Soviet adhesive plaster), you go with it for a couple of days. And then they rip it off in the bathhouse. The sensations are indescribable, and the scars are still small … “

“Onion and beet juice in the nose, super nasty. I can still feel it dripping down my throat, leaving a streak of pain inside.” “That is why I send all my relatives to the side of the sea, advising me to treat my children with these barbaric methods.And to the question “It hurts, how will the children endure?” the eternal answer is “Never mind, you have endured, and they will.”

“I was forced to drink a decoction of bees.”

“Granny treated me for bronchitis, smeared me with turpentine and put me in a hot bath, I advise, unnecessary shit! Sore throat, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh dear, now we will treat, got aviation kirosin and drank a teaspoon.”

“As a child, angina was treated with kerosene. Moreover, they did not smear the throat, but made it rinse! It lasted quite a long time, a couple of bottles were worn out.Then the angina turned into chronic tonsillitis, and, of course, only ENT cured me with the help of injections and procedures. I still shudder from the smell of kerosene. Mother and grandmother subscribed to the healthy lifestyle newspaper in zero, that’s where this real game was described! “.

“In the same newspaper I read: take half a can of earthworms, wash thoroughly, let it creep in a clean jar, wash it again (there was no scrub) and then fill it with sugar and leave to infuse. After a while, drain the juice and get a miracle droplet from half eye diseases.Karl, drops of worms with sugar! “

“As a child, for the summer, they sent me to my mother’s aunt in the village. Unsanitary conditions like in a child’s joke” up to 2 cm dirt is not visible, after 2 cm it falls off itself. ” . Qualitatively so ripped, to meat. When with a cry I came to my aunt “don’t show off, take a plantain.” As a result, a month later, when my mother arrived, my legs were covered with blisters and oozed with pus. a picture from a movie about a zombie.Six months after that I was treated at home, and I still have terrible scars. And …. ta-daam. The next summer I was sent back to the same village, where I again ripped open my other leg. History has repeated itself. “

“Inhalation with eucalyptus and fir oil. Mother poured half a bubble of both into boiling water, covered it with a blanket and made me breathe, I coughed terribly, my eyes were watering from acrid steam, covered my nose and mouth with the palm of my right hand. After I was hysterical. crawled out from under the blanket, dad was sent there, who could not stand it for 2 minutes.Then the mother apparently realized that she had poured a lot of oil. Only it was too late. Result: a burn of the mucous membrane, right hand, the next day the voice disappeared. For several years periodically there was a nosebleed and dry skin of the hand. Until now, my hand is peeling from frost and detergents, I clean at home with rubber gloves. “

“When I was little, my grandmother also considered herself a luminary of medicine, and that folk remedies can be cured of everything. Everything was used: mustard plasters (I wish the m-who invented them forever in hell with them), aloe juice inside ( sic !!!!!), breathing over potatoes, steaming legs, many other just wonderful methods.Result: 3 severe pneumonia and, as a result, a collapsed and deformed left lung. “

“I did a liver cleaning according to Vasilyeva’s method. I don’t know what kind of p-a, but I wish her to burn in hell! To cleanse, you need to drink three liters of squash juice, and tie the cake on the liver area. Still puke pulls when I remember the taste of this juice … “

“When at the age of 7 I was in the hospital with jaundice, my mother came and made me drink my own urine. From a glass of yogurt.But there were children who were unlucky, they were forced to eat bread cakes with lice. ” Candies were stuffed with lice and sold to relatives of patients with hepatitis. “

“One day she decided to cure a deep cat bite, pouring it with whiteness and rubbing it with laundry soap. Everything would be fine, but this bite was on my hand and the pain was hellish.”

“My parents decided to treat my cold (1.8) by means of installing jars … As a result, four burns of 2 and 3 degrees.Two scars for life remained in the area of ​​the shoulder blades. “

“Five-year-old I cut off the half of my toe playing hide and seek. Grandma couldn’t find anything better than letting the neighbor’s collie lick his wound.”

“To my friend from lice in childhood, my grandmother poured dust on his head and put a bag on top”

“Three live lice were fed to my brother, when he fell ill with jaundice, the grandmother somehow managed to get into the infectious ward and stuff it into his mouth, when she was discharged she confessed how the lice helped and the grandson went quickly to recover”

“And when I was 11 whole six months, I passed with cakes made of honey, glued with adhesive plaster on my chest.Fortunately, this was the case in winter. And this action was taken by my grandmother, because she thought that I had mastitis (something bad with my breast). The tumors grew, but my grandmother did not give up, and I endured. Six months later, they guessed that my breasts were just growing, not tumors. “

“When I was sick, I really don’t remember what symptoms, they smeared everything with honey, put on pajamas that naturally adhered disgustingly, on top of a woolen vest, two socks, one of which are woolen, under the blanket and made sure not to stick out from under it, for the whole night …The cherry on top of all of this was covering the nose with honey “

“In my childhood, many boils began to appear on the skin. My grandfather advised the folk way: to eat a couple of berries of the raven-eye plant (the berries are poisonous). I don’t know if this was the reason that after about a month my arms and legs began to hurt, any the movement brought pain. In short, they finally put me in the hospital for a week for antibiotic injections. Everything went away, boils stopped appearing. ”

“Aunt fed herself and her son with live beetles.So small, fast. A spoonful a day. She read on the Internet that such treatment helps with asthma. “

“They smeared me with tar like that all over, even my face, wrapped me in a rag and left in the sun for two hours while the bath was heated. And I imagined myself as an aborigine, it’s still good that the children have such a flexible psyche. I had scabies and I by the way did not help “

“That is, eating bear fat with bread in my childhood with angina – is that nothing?”

Microsoft x Nat Geo: Northern Lights in Lumia 950

Two and a half years ago, I was offered to shoot seven natural wonders of the world on Lumia smartphones.Which is what I did.

Steven Alvarez captures shadows, light and water that create spectacular reflections and silhouettes along a highway near Tromsø, Norway.

Ok, actually I was asked to photograph six wonders as I shot the Grand Canyon on a Lumia 1020 while traveling in the American West.

Photographing Seven Wonders is a great task, but also a serious challenge. I took National Geographic quality photos using only Lumia smartphones.

I went through the list of captured wonders of the world and mentally noted the difficulties that I encountered in each of the situations:

In 20 years of photography for National Geographic magazine, I’ve dealt with all of these problems. But the northern lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, have puzzles in store that I didn’t originally expect to face.

The Northern Lights are the only natural wonder that is not place , but phenomenon .It appears as a result of the glow of the upper layers of the atmosphere under the influence of charged particles of the solar wind. The “storms” of our star are short-lived and unpredictable, and with them the northern lights. In addition to this unpredictability, there is extreme cold and bad weather in the far north.

When the lights do appear, they can be spectacular, but not very bright. And shooting in low light has always been the weak point of smartphones. So I thought it was logical to leave the aurora photography for last!

A Lumia 950 smartphone captures pink light in time lapse as it floods the sky over Tromso, Norway.

This was not just shelving. As a Microsoft Devices Ambassador, I knew that the photography technology in Microsoft smartphones is advancing at a fantastic pace. Ever since I got my hands on the Lumia 950, I have been confident that it can capture a natural phenomenon that can only be observed at night.

On this expedition I decided to work in the Arctic Circle in the northern part of Finland and Norway. The idea was to look at the different landscapes and people living in the land of the Northern Lights while we wait for the best combination of weather and light.

National Geographic photographer Steven Alvarez and his friend John Bersham in frosty Finland.

It was very cold to shoot in Finland. The temperature hovers around 35 degrees Celsius below zero! The days in January are very short, only 2-4 hours of daylight, so we had long nights at our disposal to see the northern lights if they did appear.

My friend and I walked in the night through the snowy fairy tale of the Finnish winter. Eyes are riveted to the sky. We looked at the clouds and asked: “Do you think this is already a glow?” Then night came when the thermometer dropped to 40 degrees, but there were no more questions! Light curtains spread across the entire horizon from edge to edge.

I shot on a Lumia 950 using a tripod, set the ISO to 100-400, shutter speed to 4 seconds and pressed the shutter release. The tripod was so cold that it burned my fingers.

A surreal green aurora borealis snake crawls across the sky near Levi, Finland. Shot with Lumia 950.

Lapland shaman on a lake near his home in Levi, Finland.He spent his entire life among these landscapes, hunting, fishing and exploring the far north. Shot with Lumia 950.

The shaman bravely endures the frost of minus 35 ° C, standing on a frozen lake in the Finnish north. Even the old-timer admits it was chilly this morning. Shot with Lumia 950.

Shadows, light and water create spectacular reflections and silhouettes along the highway near Tromsø, Norway.Shot with Lumia 950.

While gorgeous streaks of green, orange and white crossed the sky, I took photographs. It seemed as if dragons were flying above us. I could not believe what I saw – both above me and on the screen.

The last obstacle to mobile photography – insufficient lighting – has been destroyed. I shot the northern lights with my smartphone!

Rules for the use of pyrotechnics

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!

All pyrotechnics are divided into three types, depending on the level of danger.

Safe

Firecrackers and sparklers (danger zone – an area with a radius of 50 centimeters).

It can be said to be the most innocent pyrotechnic entertainment. However, a regular sparkler can burn your skin or scalp your hair. To avoid this, you must act as follows:

1 keep the burning fire on outstretched hand – away from skin and hair;
2 Once the stick is burnt out, do not drop it on the table or floor. A burnt out sparkler should be immediately immersed in a bowl of water, under the tap or in the snow.Uncooled gunpowder can smolder and then flare up.

Medium hazardous

Fountains (radius of the danger zone – 5 meters).

They can be detonated five meters from residential buildings. Naturally, not under windows, not near entrances or sewer wells, not on a playground. Proceed as follows:

1 Place the fountain firmly on the ground and release the wick from the protective sticker. Bend it;
2 light the wick and, without hesitation, go to a safe distance – at least five meters from the wick;
3 After the fireworks, do not throw the fountain into the trash bin to avoid a fire.Better to leave the used fountain on the site next to the dumpsters.

Very dangerous

These are three very popular types of fireworks: Roman candles, rockets and fireworks. All have a radius of the danger zone – 20 meters.
Attention! Can be used only in open places – in the field, in the country or in the forest. But not indoors, not from the balcony and not from your hands! Cannot be used in strong winds.
Proceed as follows:

Roman candles

1.Dig a hole in the ground or snow in advance. The length of the hole must match the mark specifically indicated on the packaging of the fireworks. As a rule, this is at least two-thirds of the candlestick.
2 Place the candle in the hole.
3 Remove the protective cap from the wick and ignite it.
4 Move 20 meters away from the candle as soon as possible.
5 Important! If the candle does not work, do not approach it for at least 10 minutes. During this time, she can still jerk.

Rockets

You have to be especially careful with them.It is these rockets that often take off your fingers if fired incorrectly.

– Last New Year, one craftsman detonated such a rocket in the courtyard of his house, – say the Ministry of Emergencies. – She flew up to the 16th floor, broke the window and flew into the room. The pensioners lived in the apartment. Fortunately, the owner was at home. Seeing the curtains flashing, he immediately called the firefighters. Then he admitted: they say, it’s good that his wife was not there, otherwise she would have had a heartbreak out of fear.

To avoid this, proceed as follows:

1 fix the tube (always put in the package) to launch the rocket in the ground or in the snow for at least two-thirds of its length;
2 Carefully insert the rocket into the tube strictly vertically;
3 remove the protective cap and light the wick;
4 spectators must stand at least 20 meters from the rocket.