From the Guidelines
For second degree burn treatment on the lip, immediately rinse the area with cool water for 10-15 minutes to stop the burning process, and apply petroleum jelly or an antibiotic ointment to keep the area moist and prevent infection, as recommended by the most recent guidelines 1. When treating second degree burns on the lip, it is essential to prioritize proper care to promote healing and prevent scarring. The lip has thin skin and a rich blood supply, making it a sensitive area that requires gentle treatment.
- Rinse the area with cool water for 10-15 minutes to stop the burning process, as this can help reduce the risk of further damage and promote healing.
- Apply petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or an antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin to keep the area moist and prevent infection, as these have been shown to improve healing time in patients with partial-thickness burns 1.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (400-600mg every 6 hours) or acetaminophen (500-1000mg every 6 hours) to manage pain and reduce inflammation, as these are well-tolerated and generally recommended for burn pain 1.
- Avoid using home remedies like butter or toothpaste, as these can worsen the injury and delay healing.
- Keep the burn clean and reapply petroleum jelly several times daily to promote a moist environment that fosters healing.
- Drink through a straw and eat soft, cool foods to avoid irritating the burn and reduce discomfort. It is crucial to monitor the burn for signs of infection, such as increased pain, swelling, redness, or pus, and seek medical attention immediately if the burn is larger than a quarter or does not improve within a week, as these can be indicative of more severe complications that require specialized care 1.
From the Research
Second-Degree Burn Lip Treatment
- Second-degree burns are the most common type of burn in clinical practice and can be challenging to manage, with no unified standard or specification for diagnosis, classification, surgical procedure, and infection diagnosis and grading 2, 3.
- The treatment of second-degree burns requires consideration of factors such as burn site, patient age, and burn area, with special attention given to the fact that there is no standardized clinical treatment plan 2.
- A consensus on the treatment of second-degree burn wounds has been developed, providing specific recommendations on prehospital first aid, nonsurgical treatment, surgical treatment, and infection treatment for second-degree burns 2, 3.
- For the prevention of burn-wound infection, international guidelines recommend the use of topical antimicrobial agents, with silver-containing dressings being the most recommended, regardless of the depth of the burn 4.
- Silver sulfadiazine is the most recommended topical antimicrobial in low-resource settings, and there is consensus among guidelines to use topical antimicrobials as a tool to prevent infection 4.
- However, there is currently no ideal topical antimicrobial agent that can be recommended for all clinical scenarios, and the development of more consistent recommendations is warranted to standardize clinical practice 4.