Wishing all my readers across the world a Happy Diwali. Diwali or Deepavali is a festival of Lights celebrated by all in India no matter to what religion they belong. There is a lot of Happiness, bonhomie among everyone who celebrate the festival. This day is celebrated by wearing new clothes, meeting people, distributing sweets, and of course bursting a lot of Firecrackers. So, in this blog Maggie and Jaggy will discuss how to deal with Burns. Over to Maggie and Jaggy. 

Maggie: “Hello Jaggy! Happy Diwali to you and your family.”

Jaggy: “Thanks Maggie and wish you and your family too a Happy and Safe Diwali.” 

Maggie: “I was expecting you would use the word safe.”

Jaggy: “Yes. Safety is my passion and profession and I want everyone to be safe especially when using firecrackers.”

Maggie: “What precautions we need to take while bursting firecrackers?”

Jaggy: “Just a few precautions are enough like 

1. Wearing Cotton clothes and proper footwear. 

2.Having two buckets of water nearby. 

3. Elders supervising the Children when they burst the firecrackers. 

4. Ensuring the oil lamps lit are not near flammable material like clothing. 

5.As far as possible lighting the crackers in open spaces. In case of fire on clothing remember to STOP, DROP ROLL.” 

Maggie: “That’s nice. Simple precautions yet people do not follow them.” 

Jaggy: “Correct. That’s the reason why we see a lot of burn injuries during these times.” 

Maggie: “Can you tell me about the burns Jaggy and what is the first aid for Burns?”Jaggy: “Burns to the skin are based on the skin itself. The human skin has three layers the Epidermis, Dermis and Hypodermis. The burns are therefore called as First degree, Second degree and Third degree.”

Maggie: “Oh! Now I remember the biology lesson of the skin.”

Jaggy: “The first degree, burn affects the top layer of the skin and is usually superficial. There is pain, redness in the area and irritation for a few minutes and usually heals when given quick first aid. A second degree burn damages for the outer layer and penetrates to the middle layer and usually forms blisters at the burn site. The third degree, burn penetrates deeper into the inner most layer and can even cause damage to tissues and muscles. The area usually becomes black or grey in color and the damage is severe.”

Maggie: “You mean to say that if aid is not given on time the severity of the burn increases.” 

Jaggy: “Exactly. Hence quick first aid is imperative.”

Maggie: “What is the best first aid for a burn injury?”

Jaggy: “Burns to the skin can be through fire, chemicals, acids, hot water, steam and contact with any hot surface. Even an electrical injury can cause burns to the skin. The best first aid is to pour a lot of water on the affected areas for as long as you can. Pouring water cools the skin and water can penetrate to the deepest parts of the skin.” 

Maggie: “But many people say that water should never be used on a burn injury.”

Jaggy: “Those who say that are misguided. Water in fact has the best heat absorbing properties and is the best for any burn injury.” 

Maggie: “Now I get it. Is there other medication we can use like an ointment?” 

Jaggy: “Yes, you can if the area is sufficiently cooled with water.” 

Maggie: “What if blisters appear on the burn area?”

Jaggy: “Do not open the blisters. They will heal based on the treatment and time”. 

Maggie: “Do we need to take the victims to Hospital?” 

Jaggy: “Yes, that is always the best thing to do. Doctors are healers and they know better than first aiders like you and me.” 

Maggie: “There are lot of local treatments I have heard of like applying egg whites, using banana leaves and such is it correct?”

Jaggy: “They are not correct, and people do that in ignorance. These days there are burn gel liquids available in the market with sterile dressing and they can be used for the burn injuries.” 

Maggie: “One last question. I have heard that doctors treat based on percentages of burns. Can you throw some light on that?”

Jaggie: “Sure. It is calculated by the rule of nine. The front and back of the body is taken as 18% each. The legs are taken as 18% each. The arms including hands are 9% each. The head and neck as 9% and the genital area as 1%.” 

Maggie: “Thank you so much Jaggy. As usual you have given me the clear picture. See you soon. Stay Safe.” 

Jaggy: “Sure Maggie.” 

Festival times call for celebrations. Let us all celebrate but the pandemic is still not over, and we should still be careful. Stay Safe, Be Safe. 

Jaggy and Maggie will be back with more conversations.

Seshadri Varadarajan