Our routine life carries a lot of small accidents where our loved ones get hurt. We need to be extra vigilant in treatment to avoid any miss-happenings. One of the most common types of injury is rug burns, which can occur while working, playing, or doing minor household tasks. Generally, these kinds of burns occur when your body rubs against a rough surface like rope, rug or carpet, which results in the removal of upper skin layers. This can lead to a severe burning sensation and can serious trouble if not treated on time. Most common areas for rug burns s are elbows, knees, legs, and face.

How to Treat Rug Burns at Home

As rug burn or carpet burn is the most common type of friction injury, it can heal on its own without seeking any immediate medical help, but it may sometimes get infected and lead to severe damage to deeper skin layers. Therefore, it is advisable to treat the burn as soon as possible. The burns can be treated on the basis of their severity:

Step-by-Step Guide to Treat Carpet Burns at Home:

• Cold water treatment: Once you identify the affected area, immediately pour cold water on the injury to avoid the burning sensation. Continue pouring cold water for 5 -10 minutes and repeat the process every hour. Avoid using ice, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as these cause further pain and scorching. After the water treatment, clean the affected area with a soft cotton cloth.

• Clean the burn with antiseptic solution: After washing the injury with cold water, clean the burn with an antiseptic solution to avoid any chances of further infection. Once you are done with the antiseptic rinse, dry the skin with a cotton gauze.

• Apply antibiotic ointment: Apply an antibiotic ointment on the burn area and gently cover it with loose bandage. The role of antibiotics is crucial in reducing the inflammation caused by any burns, boils or scalds. What's more, the ointment kills the bacteria, thereby preventing further infection of inner skin layers.

• Aloe vera gel treatment: You can apply aloe vera gel on the burn area as it helps in the healing process and acts as a relaxing agent to the skin surface. It also has natural antibacterial properties, which helps body to respond against damaging foreign particles.

• Essential oils: Use of essential oils also helps in the healing process. It can accelerate the skin regeneration process. Many essential oils have antimicrobial properties like lavender oil, thyme oil, etc. Apply 2-3 drops of lavender oil on the burn area. This will leave no room for bacterial infections to penetrate the skin surface.

• Honey massage: Apply honey on the burn, as it works as a lubricant and avoids friction between the injury and other surfaces. Honey also has natural antibacterial properties which prevents the wound from getting any further infection.
  
  Seek Immediate Medical Attention

You should seek immediate medical attention in the case of any deep cuts or lacerations in your skin, as this may suggest damage to the inner layers of the skin. However, if there is swelling, bleeding, pus accumulation or drainage in the wound along with worsening of pain, this is an indication that your body cannot cope with the infection and you should immediately consult your physician.

Do's and Don'ts:

While taking care of rug burn, you should keep a few points in mind:

Things to keep in mind while treating rug burn:

• Keep the area dry: Try to keep the affected area as dry as possible. Dry skin is less prone to germ and infections.
• Apply ointment regularly: Apply ointment regularly until the skin gets a new surface layer in the form of red colour abrasion, which indicates proper healing of the skin.
• Cover the burn while bathing: Be cautious when showering, as the exposure to excessive water leads to a slower healing process and increases the chances of the penetration of germs into the inner levels of your skin. If the scald gets wet while bathing, pat it dry with a cotton gauze immediately after shower.
  
  Things to avoid during rug burn treatment:
  
  

• Avoid ice application: Never apply ice on the affected area as it causes the burned surface to blister.

• Avoid wearing tight clothes: It is advisable to avoid wearing tight clothes around the affected area as cloth rubbing on the burn area will lead to the irritation of skin and increase inflammation on the affected area.

• Avoid scratching: Do not touch or scratch the affected skin as this can lead to bleeding. Also, do not try to scratch the skin scab because it will lengthen the healing process.

• Avoid lotions, powders or cosmetics: Some lotions and powders can cause problems in carpet burns as they can irritate the sensitive skin on the affected area. Therefore, try to avoid applying any kind of cosmetics, creams or powders on the burn area.
  
  By taking small precautions and being cautious, rug burns can definitely be treated with utmost ease and comfort. You just need to be extra vigilant about the possible outcomes of a burn injury.

Summary:

This article contains each and every detail about rug burns or carpet burns. How they occur and how rug burns can be treated at home. Along with this information, you get first line treatment information for carpet burns, scalds and other affected areas. Use this information as first aid when encountered with any kind of immediate condition like minor burns and scalds. You can use the above treatment techniques to get rid of these rug burns and scalds in a short period of time. Being cautious is as important as treatment.

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