Superficial Scald

Last Friday was a rather unfortunate day for me. I was in an accident and as a result, I suffered from what the doctor termed as superficial scald. A large portion of my left thigh and a portion of my left tummy was affected. If you are wondering what is scald, scald is the burn on your skin caused by boiling liquid or water. I read online saying that superficial first degree scald normally heals after 3-5 days with minimal scaring and scalds with blisters are termed as Superficial partial thickness (Second degree) scald. Now, I am no longer sure about my case because my left thigh is covered with blisters. So, mine is clearly second degree. Darn IT! It's going to leave a huge scar. If you wonder how a Second Degree Scald looks like, here's a description: affected area is red with clear blister+blanches with pressure. Hubster was of course very upset about it and practically banned me from going near anything hot.

It was the first time for me to encounter such case that we didn't know what to do. Hubster and I were both alone at home at that time. The moment the boiling water hit my skin, I went all silent and tried my best to think of how to manage the situation. Hubster came right away but he wasn't sure how he could help the situation. We were both educated to be engineers so we had no clue and what to do. I tried to be strong but broke into tears when I start feeling my skin getting cooked. The portion which had a higher impact started to peel. Hubster tried to google for a remedy but of all the times, the internet was down then. He wasn't sure what would help it or what would make the situation worse. I called my mom who checked with her doctor cousin. We were advised to have running water to cool it off and apply Savlon. Savlon? Where were we going to find that? I then called my cousin who then told me that she saw the discovery channel advising to put the affected area under running water and apply egg white to treat the scald. My mom then advised to apply Colgate to cool it off. OK, at that point, everyone was giving me all sorts of advise and I didn't know what to do so I did the most logical thing, follow the similar advice which water sitting under a cold shower and just grab the closest thing to me which was Colgate. After that, we pretty much rushed to the clinic (being pregnant and all we needed to know whether it was just my skin being affected). The doctor said since it is superficial (epidermic), the baby should be fine. But I will have to take good care of my burn to prevent infection. I really hope our Chicharito is ok. Sorry Chicharito for giving you such a scare. 

I learned a thing or two about scald. After removing the source of scald, the skin can continue to cook in response to the heat. If you were in such an experience, here's what you should do:

1. Straight away look for running cold water (gentle) and put the affected area under it. If you can get a bucket of iced water, soak the affect area. This helps to stop the burn and ease the pain a little. NEVER apply plain ice directly to it. 
2. Remove any piece of item at the affected area. 
3. Apply Savlon or Aloe Vera.
4. Consult a doctor. 

Scaring or not, what's important is to focus on healing the wound first. My cousin recommend House of Healin's Lukano Lotion which only cost RM28. It is an aloe vera based lotion which helps to promote healing for scalds. Hubster just got it for me. Hope it works though. At the moment, I'm enduring the pain by wearing skirts and dresses. Will update on how effective the lotion. Till next time, wish me luck!