During the holidays, people tend to find themselves in the kitchen more often than the rest of the year combined. And because holiday cooking is usually accompanied by stress and rushing, you’re less likely to take the standard kitchen safety precautions necessary to prevent injuries. Oven and stovetop cooking burns are common, with victims ranging from novices to expert chefs. And while most burns are trivial enough for at-home care, some may pose a serious health issue. Keep reading to learn how to treat an oven burn, how to protect your skin, and when to see a doctor.
Types of Burns
The first step to treating a burn is figuring out the severity. Most kitchen burns aren’t very serious, but being able to self-diagnose whether you have a first, second, or third-degree burn helps determine the best course of action. Each degree of burn affects a different depth of tissue and requires a different level of care.
First-Degree Burns
First-degree burns are isolated to the top layer of the epidermis and are typically accompanied by pain, swelling, or redness. You can get a first-degree burn by accidentally and briefly touching a hot pan, oven rack, or curling iron. This is the most common type of cooking-related burn and, because these types of burns are superficial, you usually will not need to seek professional treatment. The affected area may look slightly pink or red and feel tender to the touch, but blistering is not typically present. With proper at-home care, first-degree burns generally heal within three to five days without leaving a scar.
Second-Degree Burns
Second-degree burns are also accompanied by pain, redness, and swelling, but tend to have other symptoms that cause increased discomfort and a higher chance of infection. You might experience thickening of the skin, blistering, and persistent tenderness in the area. This type of burn extends to the lower layers of the skin and is usually caused by pressing down on something hot or spilling boiling liquid on yourself. Second-degree burns are significantly more painful than first-degree burns because the nerve endings in the deeper skin layers are exposed and highly sensitive. These burns require more careful at-home management and, in some cases, medical evaluation — particularly if they are larger than three inches in diameter or located on the hands, feet, face, or joints.
Third & Fourth-Degree Burns
Third and fourth-degree burns are the most serious type of burns. They destroy the skin completely along with the lower levels of tissue, including fat, muscle, and in the most severe cases, bone. Skin affiliated with these kinds of burns tends to look charred, white, or leathery, and victims are likely to experience numbness and loss of sensitivity in the affected area because the nerve endings themselves have been destroyed. These burns are always medical emergencies. Do not attempt to treat them at home — call 911 immediately.
How to Avoid Oven Burns
When you’re preparing a meal, it’s easy to get swept up in the actual preparation and forget to observe basic safety practices. In order to avoid getting burned skin in the kitchen, follow these preventive measures:
Start with a clean cooking space
Keeping a tidy kitchen is key to avoiding injuries. Not only does it help you move about your kitchen more freely, but it makes tripping on or knocking something over far less likely. Cleaning up as you go, wiping spills immediately and keeping counters clear, can help keep your kitchen as accident-free as possible. Clutter on countertops increases the risk of accidentally bumping hot pots or pans off the surface.
Keep oven mitts out and easily accessible
One of the most common ways to burn yourself in the kitchen is to try and remove something from the oven and forget to put on your oven mitts. It’s an easy, absent-minded mistake to make, especially when you’re distracted by the smell of something delicious. By keeping your oven mitts visible and positioned near the oven at all times, you are far less likely to reach in without them. Consider investing in silicone mitts that provide better heat resistance and grip than standard fabric versions.
Turn handles to the wall
By turning pot and pan handles toward the wall rather than outward over the stovetop edge, you are far less likely to walk past a hot pot or skillet and knock it over by bumping it. Children and pets are also known to reach up and grab protruding handles, making this a particularly important safety habit in households with young family members.
Adjust oven racks before heating the oven
Give yourself less room for error by adjusting your oven racks while the oven is still cool. Even if you are wearing oven mitts, the intense heat rising from the inside of a preheated oven can seep through in the time it takes to reposition the racks. Taking this step before turning the oven on costs you nothing and eliminates a significant burn risk.
Use a Timer and Stay Present
Many kitchen burns happen when people step away and then return to check on something without thinking through the heat involved. Setting a timer and remaining mentally present when removing dishes from the oven or handling items from a hot burner reduces the likelihood of rushed, careless movements that lead to contact burns.
What is the Best Way to Treat a Burn at Home?
If you have suffered from first or second-degree burns and believe it is treatable at home, then your first step should be to remove yourself from the source of the burn without further injuring yourself or others. Put the hot pan down on a safe surface or remove clothing soaked with boiling water immediately. Then apply cool, not cold, running water to the affected area for at least 10 to 20 minutes. You may need to use a wet compress if you don’t have access to a sink or hose. This step is critical and should never be skipped, as cooling the burn promptly reduces tissue damage and pain.
Do not feed into old burn remedies like butter, toothpaste, or occlusive creams. These may actually make your burn worse by trapping heat in the tissue and creating an environment where bacteria can thrive. Instead, once the area has been cooled, apply an antiseptic or antibiotic ointment like Betadine to prevent infection.
After applying ointment, you need to cover the burn. Protect the burn by covering the outer layer of skin with a loose, non-adhesive bandage or cloth. Avoid wrapping the burn tightly, as swelling is a natural part of the healing process and a tight dressing can restrict circulation. Change the dressing at least once daily or whenever it becomes wet or dirty.
You may also want to take over-the-counter pain medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help with any discomfort in the affected area. Avoid aspirin in children. As the burn heals, watch closely for signs that the wound is not progressing as expected. If you are ever unsure whether your burn is healing properly or may have become infected, reviewing the warning signs of a wound that is not healing correctly can help you assess whether a medical visit is needed.
When Should You See a Doctor or Call 911?
Even minor burns carry a risk of infection if not treated and covered properly. After a burn, watch for the following signs that may indicate infection has developed:
- Increasing redness or redness spreading beyond the burn area
- Swelling that worsens rather than improves after the first 24 to 48 hours
- Pus or unusual discharge from the wound
- A fever above 100.4°F
- The burn site developing an unpleasant odor
- Red streaking extending from the wound
Any of these signs warrants medical evaluation promptly. Knowing how to tell if you have a skin infection can help you act quickly before a localized problem becomes a systemic one.
When Should You See a Doctor or Call 911?
If you think that you are suffering from a third or fourth-degree burn, you need to seek medical attention immediately. These types of burns cause permanent damage to the skin, increase the likelihood of serious infection, and may even be life-threatening. The best course of action in this instance is to call 911 and go straight to an emergency facility. Do not attempt to remove clothing that has melted or adhered to the burn, and do not submerge a severe burn in water.
If you have a more minor burn that seems to be getting increasingly painful, more swollen, or is showing any signs of infection listed above, you may have a developing infection and should proceed to a doctor for further care.
Additionally, seek treatment immediately regardless of the burn’s apparent severity if it occurs on the:
- Hands or fingers burns here can impair function and dexterity if not properly treated
- Feet weight-bearing areas require special care to prevent complications
- Face burns near the eyes, nose, or mouth carry serious risks to vision and airway
- Genitals burns in sensitive areas require immediate professional care
Children, elderly individuals, and those with diabetes or weakened immune systems should seek professional evaluation for any burn that appears more than superficial, as these groups face a higher risk of serious complications.
Visit Village Emergency Centers Today
Burns can be worrying, but Village Emergency Centers are here to help. Whether you need emergency care for a severe burn, follow-up treatment for a burn that isn’t healing as expected, or simply want peace of mind that your injury is being properly managed, do not hesitate to visit us. With locations in League City and Jersey Village, our board-certified physicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no wait times. Feel free to contact us before your visit or simply walk straight in, we are always ready to help.