What to do to treat a minor burn as burn injuries increase in the summer
A study at UC Davis looked at how quickly you can get relief from a minor burn and what you should do.
It really is a race against time when you get a minor burn.
A team from UC Davis, Sacramento Fire, and a medical team from Australia were awarded a grant to figure out the best way to get relief from a minor burn.
Patients who run cool water over their burn for 20 minutes within three hours of the injury had better outcomes. It doesn't need to be hand washing, just cool water.
Researchers found that "applying cool running water for 20 minutes mitigates the severity of the injury by dissipating thermal energy.
It does this by "stabilizing blood vessels, reducing the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals."
That speeds up healing, on top of providing relief.
