What to do if a child's feet are scalded by boiling water

Children are naturally naughty and curious about new things. They always do things that make adults anxious when adults are not paying attention, such as getting scalded by a thermos out of curiosity. So what should you do if a child’s feet are scalded by boiling water? When encountering this situation, the first thing parents may think of is to rinse with cold water, which is also the correct approach. You can choose whether to seek medical attention depending on the severity of the burn.

If your legs are scalded by boiling water, you should rinse them with cold water immediately to avoid tearing the blisters formed after the scald. The purpose of cold water flushing is to relieve pain, reduce exudation and swelling, and thus avoid or reduce blister formation. The washing time should be about half an hour or more, until you no longer feel pain when you stop washing. The general water temperature is about 20℃. Avoid using ice water to avoid frostbite.

After cold water treatment, wipe the wound dry, then apply a thin layer of blue oil hydrocarbon, green ointment or other ointment medicines, and then bandage it appropriately for 1 to 2 days to prevent blisters. But the face can only be exposed and does not need to be bandaged. If blisters are formed, you can use a sterile syringe to suck out the water or cut a small hole to release the water; if the blisters are broken, wipe them dry with a sterile cotton ball to keep them dry and prevent the water from accumulating into lumps.

After a burn, avoid applying gentian violet or mercurochrome to avoid affecting the observation of changes in the wound. Large or severe burns should be sent to the hospital immediately after general emergency care at home.

The popular belief that people should soak in soy sauce after being scalded is wrong, because soy sauce itself contains a large number of bacteria, is not conducive to heat dissipation, and can easily cause wound infection. Do not apply toothpaste after burns.

In case of skin burns, pay attention to cleaning and drying the wound surface, and avoid soaking it in water again after rinsing with cold water. The wound will dry after about 2 to 3 days. There is no need to apply medicine at this time. The scab will fall off and heal in about 10 days. If it does not heal by then, you should ask a doctor to see if it is due to a deep burn or infection.