During a class about burn treatment a student relates a story about using butter to cool a burn How should you respond?

Answer 1

Never use butter or margarine for a burn - aside from the salt content in some products, they retain heat and can actually make the burn worse. Also, the grease can allow bacteria to grow more readily, making it more susceptible to infection.

You can use milk as a compress, particularly for acid burns - milk is a neutralizing agent (it's also great for dealing with spicy foods that burn your tongue). Just make sure you rinse it off.

Flushing it with cool (not cold) water as fast as possible will also lessen the damage. When I had 3rd degree acid burns to my face and arm several years ago, it was my quick reaction in getting water on it that kept the damage from being more severe. Though I've got scarring, it's minimal - only minor pigmentation difference. Military and Industrial training drilled that instinct into me over the years, and it saved me from reconstructive surgery.

Believe it or not, Preparation H is also a great healing accelerant for burns. It has a yeast derivative that speeds up the healing process by several days.

Answer 2

Butter contains proteins which could encourage infection. You should only cool the burn with water, then keep the tissue moist under a sterile gauze.