Aloe Vera for Burns
Aloe vera is called a 'burn plant'. Aloe vera is used in many fields of medicine as a healer and as a cooling agent. Aloe vera is necessarily a very natural cooling agent which has similar properties to menthol. Aloe vera has been used to cure burns and cuts for many centuries. There are records of aloe vera's usefulness and its effectiveness in curing burns in many historical documents. Aloe vera for burns is a known, practiced and useful theory.
Although aloe vera has been known to cure burns, it cannot be used in all types of burns. Some burns need immediate medical assistance. Maybe aloe vera can be used as first aid, but this does not mean there is no need for doctoral treatment.
There are different types of burns. Burn can be caused owing to exposure to hot liquids, cold things, hot gas or any other extremely hot or cold substances.
Burns and their Types
1st Degree Burns: These are usually limited to redness (erythema), a white plaque and minor pain on the site of injury. These burns only affect the epidermis.
2nd Degree Burns: These burns manifest as erythema with superficial blistering of the skin, and can give more or less pain depending on the level of nerve involvement. Second-degree burns affect the superficial dermis and can also affect the deep dermis layer.
3rd Degree Burns: These burns occur when most of the skin is lost with damage to underlying muscles, ligaments and tendons. These burn victims will exhibit skin charring, and sometimes hard scars might develop.
These burns are often painless because the nerve endings are destroyed in the burned area. Third-degree burns result in scarring and could be life threatening if the affected area is significantly large.
Burns and their Effect
Heat burns can occur in two ways, when exposed to hot liquid or hot solids and exposure to hot gases.
Exposure to hot liquids or solids and to hot gases
These types of burns usually occur at home. At home there are accidents that occur even with utmost caution. So keep aloe vera at hand always. When hot liquids come in contact with our skin, they tend to increase the skin's temperature and this leads to scalding.
Scalding: This occurs when you come in contact with a hot liquid or a hot gas. The usual occurrence is because of hot pouring water and steam is the gas that most contributes to scalding.
These burns are usually first degree or 2nd degree burns.
Exposure to cold liquids or solids
These types of burns occur when in prolonged contact with cold substances, such as ice, snow or cold water. Or brief contact with dry ice, liquid helium, liquid nitrogen. In this case applying aloe vera gel is the best remedy.
Aloe Vera to the Rescue!
Aloe vera is very useful is containing contamination and cooling the burns. Here is how you can use aloe vera to heal burns:
When affected by a 1st or 2nd degree burns:
- Keep the burnt area under flowing water (tap water) until the burn cools down This is very important. You should not apply medicine before the wound has cooled.
- Now apply the aloe vera gel generously on the wound
How to get aloe vera gel:
From the plant:
- Cut a mature leaf
- Peel the outer leaf and remove the gel
- Mash the gel to make it into a jelly consistency
Form stores
- Preferably buy an un-stabilized aloe vera gel
- Apply it generously on the wound
Aloe vera can only be used as a first aid in 1st and second degree burns, consult a doctor for further treatment and go straight to the ER if affected by a 3rd degree burn.