Burn care guide for families

Burn care guide for families. Practical steps for people with burns and their caregivers.

For: People with burns and their caregivers

General guidance across countries. Sources checked 2026-09-26.

First aid in order

Make the scene safe and move away from the heat source. Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes as soon as possible. Keep the rest of the person warm, especially a child. Do not use ice.

Remove nearby jewellery and loose clothing before swelling starts, but leave anything stuck to the skin. After cooling, cover loosely with a clean non-stick dressing. If using cling film, lay it over the area rather than wrapping tightly around a limb; do not place it over the face.

What to avoid and how to follow up

Do not apply butter, oil, toothpaste or household mixtures. Do not burst blisters or use an adhesive dressing on the injured skin. A deep burn can be less painful because nerves have been damaged, so little pain does not prove a minor injury.

Seek assessment for large or deep burns, burns on important areas such as hands or joints, or burns in a young child. Chemical and electrical burns need urgent medical attention even if the surface looks small. During healing, increasing pain, swelling, discharge, fever or failure to heal warrants review.

Sources

  1. Burns and scalds · Public sector health information · OGL v3.0

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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