From applying toothpaste to popping blisters: Doctor flags common mistakes when treating firecracker burns

Before treating a firecracker burn at home, expert shares why toothpaste and other popular remedies are a bad idea.

Diwali fills homes with light, family and noise. However, if you are not careful, it can lead you to emergency rooms with burns, mostly to the hands, face and eyes. Most people know crackers can hurt. Far fewer know what to do in the first few minutes after, and that is when a family’s old habits tend to take over.

In a hurry, people reach for toothpaste, ice, oil, ghee, and turmeric, but none of them helps. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Anupam Golash, consultant, plastic reconstructive surgery at CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, Kolkata, shared common mistakes to avoid in case of cracker burns.

Toothpaste

According to Dr Golash, toothpaste feels cool, so people assume it must be working. It was never made for burns. The chemicals and fragrances in it can irritate skin that is already raw, introduce germs, and leave the doctor guessing about how deep the injury really is.

Burns also vary far more than they look. (Pinterest)

Cooking oil

Ghee, butter and cooking oil have a different problem. They coat the skin and trap heat, which can push the damage deeper.

Ice

“Ice is another favourite, and it backfires too,” highlighted Dr Golash. It numbs the area for a moment, but pressed straight onto a burn, it can cut off blood flow to skin that is already struggling.

How to treat a burn?

“The right first step is plain running water at a cool, comfortable temperature, held over the burn for about 20 minutes,” said Dr Golash. That brings down the heat in the tissue, stops the burn from spreading, and eases the pain. Ice-cold water should be avoided.

Burns also vary far more than they look. A minor one is red and sore. A deeper one may blister, swell badly, feel numb, or reach the underlying tissue. Crackers add a further risk, because a blast near the face can injure the eyes or send smoke and hot gas into the airways. Some injuries only show how serious they are hours later, so a burn that seems manageable should not be written off.

Dr Golash highlighted that many people also believe a blister should be pricked to let the fluid out, or that dead skin should be peeled away at home. Neither should be done. A blister protects the skin underneath, and breaking it invites infection. Fabric that has stuck to a burn should be left in place as well, because pulling it off tears more tissue.

A blister protects the skin underneath, and breaking it invites infection. (Pinterest)

In critical care, the first few minutes after a cracker injury often shape everything that follows. Once the burn has been cooled, it should be covered loosely with a clean, non-fluffy dressing or a sterile cloth. Rings, watches, and bangles should come off before swelling sets in, unless they are stuck to the skin. Burns that are deep, large or blistered need a doctor, and so does any injury to the face, hands, feet, joints or private areas. Trouble breathing, burns on the face, loss of consciousness or a severe injury calls for emergency care straight away.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.