Treatment

First degree and second degree burns can usually be treated at home with over the counter medications or aloe. If the burns involve your hands, face, groin, or feet you should seek medical attention

Treatment all depends on the severity of the burn. Treatments for more serious burns that require medical attention include:

- Intravenous (IV) fluids

- Morphine along with anti-anxiety medication is sometimes used to help burn victim cope with the pain; usually used during dressing changes

- Special creams for burns to keep the area moist, avoid infection, lessen pain, and help accelerate the healing process

- If infection is developed, antibiotics will be given (usually by IV)

- Tetanus shot is sometimes recommended by doctor

- Physical therapy will be necessary if joints or large amounts of the body's surface is burned. This will help restore flexibility of joints/muscles and/or skin

Sometimes surgical procedures are needed

- If victim is burned anywhere near face or neck, their throat could swell and close up. If this happens breathing assistance will be provided. This procedure requires a tube to be put down the trachea to help supply oxygen to the victim's lungs

- Tube feeding is needed when someones metabolism is sped up from the body trying to heal a burn and they need added nutrition from a tube that is threaded down the nasal passage to the stomach

- Decompression is required when an eschar (burn scab) tightens around a limb and cuts off circulation. If this were to happen near the chest it would make it extremely difficult to breath, cutting the eschar in several places can ease the pressure

- Skin grafts are used when there is scar tissued caused by a deep burn. Victims healthy skin, a cadaver's skin or pig skin can be recycled to cover these scars.

- Reconstruction may help bring back the elasticity in joints and better the appearance of burn scars.