I burned my face with a curling iron, what can I do to prevent scaring?
462436
The very first step is to stop the heat. Do this by submerging the burned area in cold water as fast as you can. If it is on a part of the body that you cannot submerge, then immediately pour cold water over the area several times or rinse the area under a faucet or shower. Remove any clothing that is covering the area, then poor some more water onto the burn. Be careful not to pull a still-hot shirt over the head as this may burn the face. Getting cold water onto the area as fast as possible is the single most important factor in minimizing the burn damage. \nDo not use ice. This can cause cold damage to the skin, which may make the burn worse. \nThe next step is to continue the cold water for at least 20 minutes. Submerging the burn is best, but if you cannot, then either run it under cold water or apply cold water-soaked washcloths repeatedly. \nDo not put any butter, grease, or powder on the burn. \n\nAFTER THE INITIAL 20 MINUTES OF COLD WATER, WHAT DO I DO NEXT?\nPain relief. Give yourself a dose of ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). This will both help the pain and decrease the inflammation. \nAssess the burn. There are several degrees of burn. \nFirst degree burns. This is simply redness, with no blistering. This type of burn never leaves a scar if properly treated. \nSecond degree burns. This is redness with blistering of the skin and is usually the most painful type on burn. With proper treatment, this type of burn almost never leaves a scar. NEVER pop the blisters. \nThird degree burns. This occurs when many layers of skin are actually burned away. Usually there is no blister because all the top layers of skin are gone. This burn usually does leave a scar, even with proper treatment.\n\nFacial burns. These almost always warrant a call to your doctor right away, unless it involves a very small area, such as the size of a quarter or smaller. \n\nFirst degree burns. For this type of burn, you do not need any prescription cream. You also do not need to use an antibiotic cream. One of the best treatments is aloe vera. Buy a bottle of green 100% aloe gel and apply several times a day. Be sure to buy 100% aloe. Some bottles will say, "made with pure aloe", but only contain 10% aloe. Read the ingredients. It should basically only say aloe. You can also use the juice from the leaf of an aloe plant if you have one. \n\nSecond degree burns. Treating this type of burn is more complex. You should check with your doctor about how to treat your second-degree burns. Here are some general guidelines that we recommend. Twice a day do the following: \nRinse the area with comfortable temperature water. Use a sink or bathtub faucet. The stream of water will remove germs, dead skin, and debris. \nAir dry. \nApply prescription burn cream called Silvadene (the generic equivalent is silver sulfadiazine). This is an antibiotic cream that also has excellent healing properties. This is an important part of burn treatment because it is very effective at preventing infection. You need to apply it aseptically; buy a package of sterile tongue depressors to use. Use a lot of cream, as if you were icing a cake. When you change the bandage, if all the cream is worn off or soaked in, then you didn't use enough. Silvadene contains silver, and you will notice a dark "tarnish" discoloration on the bandages. \nCover with a bandage. Your doctor may recommend a specific type of bandage. Typically a non-stick pad is placed over the cream (one brand name is Telfa), than a gauze is taped or wrapped around the area. \nStretch. If the burn is on an area of the body that stretches or pulls a lot (such as the palm of the hand or palm side of the fingers), the burned skin is at risk of healing too tight. This is called a contracture. In this type of area, it is very important to stretch this skin around ten times a day for one minute. \nCut away the blister – after the blister pops on it's own. Your doctor may cut the dead blistered skin away
34536
You could try Vitamin E oil... Whats more important than trying to make it look better, is to look at it as a reminder of how lucky you are to be able to worry about something as trivial (although it doesnt seem trivial) as a scar:-) Good luck!
930519
I would rub in Vitamin E Oil the best you can afford,as that will help in reducing scar tissue...\n\nI know it's a touchy subject but what about going to chemist/drugstore and asking chemist his recommendations,\nbut would you be prepared to discuss this with chemist openly,?\n I admire you getting cut so late in life..Ouch..cheers
573712
As soon as possible after you realize you're badly burned (that evening) cool the skin- ice, cold compress, ANYTHING to cool the temperature of your skin. Your skin has spent all day absorbing heat, and you need to remove that heat as soon as possible and as quickly as possible.\n\nAfter the skin is cooled, there are a lot of different options- lanacane sprays (nice, because they don't require actually touching the skin), aloe or vitamin e ointments and gels, etc.\n\nBe careful if/when you apply ointments, because if your skin develops blisters, you don't want to burst them prematurely.\n\nAvoid wearing clothing on that skin whenever possible- in the evening after work, etc. That clothing can continue rubbing and irritating the sensitive burned skin. Clothing can also burst blisters.\n\nI would also strongly recommend preventing future burns- sunblock!!! wear a t-shirt over your swimsuit, etc...
1017144
Never put anything on a burn except cold water.  Baking soda, ice etc all trap the heat in more and can make the burn worse.  Run it under cold water for 15 min. If it starts to blister, try not to pop it, as it will allow for infection to get in.  If the blister does open, you may want to put some antibiotic cream on it with a bandaid.  God Bless
597552
do a little of both.  try neosporin and a bandaid during the day and air it out at night.  you dont want it to stay too moist, but if you let it dry out it causes scaring
449510
Yip there is an easy way to make it look better without spending a lot of money on surgery.Go to your pharmacy and buy some BIO oil or sometimes they call it tissue oil.It is a very good vitamen A oil that you put on youre scar and in time it will heal the scar and skin.I had really bad burns on my back ones from hot oil spilling on me, and there is no burn marks anymore.Good luck
352529
I dont know what "it" is that is telling you not to put anything on... so lets ignore that.\nFirst of all. Begin drinking water. You need lots of fluids to help heal your skin. Don't drink alot of pop or things containing caffine. Water is the best. Use lotion. Something with aloe is best. In the future try to keep some aloe vera gel in the refrigerator and use it often when you are burned... for any kind of burn and you will be glad you did. Try not to wear constricting clothes or anything with straps that will irritate your skin. If you can go to the store get some aloe gel, if you can't find that use something that has collodial oatmeal in it. Even suave has that for 2 bux. You will appreciate that when it begins to itch in a few days. Good luck and use sunscreen next time.
778433
get some vitamin e gel capsules and pop them, squeezing out the stuff inside onto the burn...if you must cover it to sleep, do so with something soft, stretchy and breathable...but keep a good layer of the gel on there to hydrate the skin well....
982408
Mederma for scars... you just rub it on and after a while, the scar is less obvious and starts to smooth out. \n\n\nGood luck, feel better.
51905
First run cold water over it or put ice on. This will numb it a bit. then you can put some numbing cream or gel on if you want maximum releif. You can also put on the gel that goes on sunburns. That works really well.
922814
buy vitamin E gelcaps and then break them open and rub it on your scars.... My grandmother thought me this when I was young....works well....
975895
Sounds like you're preparing for a kitchen disaster this Thanksgiving.  If grease or boiling water, you are probably near cold water - like tap or faucet water.  DRENCH the burn area in cold water - hold it under the faucet, or the open end of a hose. - DON'T spray it!  Just flood it - and do this for a few minutes - not seconds.\n\nGet it under there immediately to stop the burn from penetrating through the skin any more than it has.  Don't just cool the surface.\n\n1st or second degree - gently pat dry. Third degree - top surface of skin is gone - seek medical help.  If it's an area larger than your hand, or if it's on the face or genitals - call 911.  Seriously.\n\nOtherwise, go IMMEDIATELY to the ER or a clinic.
261610
There is some stuff called scar cream you could try that
55626
Burn it off or laser removal. The laser takes several visits and is expensive. Burning it off is painful, dangerous (high risk of infection), and will most likely leave a large scar.
571038
Aloe. Try a lotion that is mostly aloe. I had a really bad sunburn, REALLY bad from head to toe when I was 14, kept me up for like 2 days straight. Didn't get any relief until I put aloe all over my body. Instant relief and it went away and healed SO quick I was amazed. Buy an aloe plant too. They are good for when you get a burn on your finger or a cut, you can break the leave in half and inside it's full of pure aloe, and it's pretty cool. It has pretty cool healing powers.
1151947
Abigail B dispensed goot advice.  aloe helps too.  if you buy it OTC, make sure it is 100% aloe w/ NO ALCHOL.\n\nwhen it isn't raw to the touch, continue applying aloe and vitamin K cream to speed healing and prevent scarring.\n\ngood luck and be more careful next time?  ♥