When Treating a Burn This Summer What to Do And Not to Do

With barbecue season in full swing, your chances of accidentally burning your finger (or palm, or arm) are on the rise. 

If you are like me, I average 10 - 12 burns during a summer season. Yeah I am graceful as an elephant in the china closet. You probably already know what you should do if that painful accident befalls your skin (run the burn under cold water, then apply a loose bandage), but do you know what you should never do?

This came as a big surprise, you should not put an ice pack on a burn - it can damage your skin and worsen your injury. You should also never pop blisters (done this and it hurts worse afterwards), or apply antibiotics or butter (many a grandma’s remedy) to burns. All of these steps can breed infection.

Depending on the severity of the burn, you may want to seek immediate medical attention or wait and have your primary care physician get you in for an appointment. Bottom line, to take care when you are around a grill and careful to not have people surrounding you while you are cooking.