2nd degree burn?

hilsy85

LO got a 2nd degree burn on his arm on Monday night. We saw the pedi Tuesday afternoon and she prescribed a cream to use under a bandage. Just wondering if anyone has experience with burns, and what the healing time is like? It still looks very red and open.

erinmc1

I don't have experience so please don't be irritated with me for posting but I wanted to say I'm so sorry that happened! I hope your LO is ok and so are you! That must have been so scary!

hilsy85

erinmc1 said:

I don't have experience so please don't be irritated with me for posting but I wanted to say I'm so sorry that happened! I hope your LO is ok and so are you! That must have been so scary!

Oh I'm not irritated at all! Thanks; it was SUPER scary and it looks awful luckily LO seems to be in no pain from it, which is good  

LSU628

Oh no! What did he do?

mommaoftrips

My LO got a 2nd degree burn on his hand, it blistered and opened. We didn't have a bandage one and just tried to keep it clean and put ploysporin on it - no special cream.
Just look for signs of infection. In terms of healing time, I can't really remember but I think about 10-14 days and than the skin area stayed pink-ish for a few more weeks. Sorry your little one got this kind of burn, it was hard for me to go through too.

MrsRJC

Im a little late answering but I have 1 suggestion.

My DD was burned when she was 3 months old. Our pediatrician told us once it was no longer an open wound to rub vitamin e oil on it twice a day. She also said it will take up to 18 months for the scar to fade. We've been religious about the oil for almost a year and now you really have to squint to see the spot.

hilsy85

MrsRJC said:

Im a little late answering but I have 1 suggestion. My DD was burned when she was 3 months old. Our pediatrician told us once it was no longer an open wound to rub vitamin e oil on it twice a day. She also said it will take up to 18 months for the scar to fade. We've been religious about the oil for almost a year and now you really have to squint to see the spot.

@MrsRJC thank you!! I definitely plan to do vitamin e or mederma or something similar--I'll ask the pedi what she recommends. Glad your DD's scar faded (and oy, cant imagine going through this with a newborn!). 

@LSU628- he pulled over a cup of tea and scalded the inside of his forearm.

@mommaoftrips: thanks! It is actually looking better today, almost a week after--it doesn't look so open/moist anymore, just still red/pink. 

Meery82

At this point, it's normal for it to look that way. Just keep it very clean. Follow all instructions strictly. I suggest wearing gloves when changing the dressing. Don't get cheap with the cream. Make sure you're using enough to adequately cover the area. Is it silvadene (silver sulfadiazine) cream? Also, 2nd degree burns are usually the most painful. Motrin/ibuprofen is a good choice for pain control because it helps decrease the inflammation as well.

hilsy85

Meery82 said:

At this point, it's normal for it to look that way. Just keep it very clean. Follow all instructions strictly. I suggest wearing gloves when changing the dressing. Don't get cheap with the cream. Make sure you're using enough to adequately cover the area. Is it silvadene (silver sulfadiazine) cream? Also, 2nd degree burns are usually the most painful. Motrin/ibuprofen is a good choice for pain control because it helps decrease the inflammation as well.

@Meery82 thanks! I am layering that cream (and yes it is silvadene) on as thick as I can. He does not seem to be in any pain from it, which is great--we did give him motrin the night it happened but not since then The biggest issue seems to be that the bandages have been slipping down his arm/off the wound over the course of the day/night, but we are trying a new kind so hopefully it works better. 

Thanks so much for all the info/responses!! 

Meery82

hilsy85 said:

Meery82 said:

At this point, it's normal for it to look that way. Just keep it very clean. Follow all instructions strictly. I suggest wearing gloves when changing the dressing. Don't get cheap with the cream. Make sure you're using enough to adequately cover the area. Is it silvadene (silver sulfadiazine) cream? Also, 2nd degree burns are usually the most painful. Motrin/ibuprofen is a good choice for pain control because it helps decrease the inflammation as well.

@Meery82 thanks! I am layering that cream (and yes it is silvadene) on as thick as I can. He does not seem to be in any pain from it, which is great--we did give him motrin the night it happened but not since then The biggest issue seems to be that the bandages have been slipping down his arm/off the wound over the course of the day/night, but we are trying a new kind so hopefully it works better. 

Thanks so much for all the info/responses!! 

I'm not sure if you can get it in a drugstore, but there's something called band net, which is like a stretchy net made out of gauze like material. It's what they use in the burn unit to hold the bandages in place since you can't really use tape. Happy to help! I hope it heals quick!

MamaCoop01

Unfortunately, we have experience dealing with 2nd degree burns on our little one.   We put ointment on her blisters and wrapped them in gauze until they healed.  They were closed within 3-4 days.  During that time, we gave her a sponge bath to avoid risk of infection in the tub.  I was afraid of her peeing in the tub and infecting the open sores.  She never fussed or seemed to be in pain, so we didn't have to use Tylenol.  Since the sores healed, we have been using Vitamin E cream to reduce the risk of permanent scarring.  Her burn marks have faded quite a bit already!  The doctor told us to be careful this summer, since the scarring may become permanent if she gets too much sun in the same area. 

I hope that's helpful.  Sorry to hear this!  Such a scary thing for mom and baby.  Sending wishes for a fast recovery!! 

mommaoftrips

It's true it take skin/wounds 2 years to heal - it may be closed but the skin area that was damaged is still working on strengthen itself during this time period.