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Health, I am sure you are well-intentioned, and your advice has often been very knowledgeable and helpful, and it IS appreciated at those times. But sometimes you get a little fixated more on being “right” rather than helpful, and then it becomes a little harder to hear the wisdom that you DO have.
vashtischwartz, many people do not have gauze in their house, the next best thing is a plastic shopping bag – they have tiny holes in that let the wound breathe. Believe me, I did first aid and the paramedic specifically said to put a plastic bag on it.
oomis -“Logic dictates that if I have a burn and put Silvadene on it and the burn INSTANTLY stops hurting, and the same does NOT hold true for putting ‘white vaseline” on it, that it is not a placebo effect. It is the Silvadene. And the fact that the doctor himself prescribed it (and I quote)”to eliminate the pain and infection potential,” tends to give more weight to his opinion than someone else’s.”
Your and your Doc’s opinion don’t have more weight than the company. If there was a reason to say it proivdes pain relief, the company would advertise that!
OK. This is me, dropping this conversation with you, because it is going nowhere. I respect your opinion but disagree. For the rest of us, soaking in cold water followed by application of Silvadene really works very well for many. But PLEASE check with your doctor.
notasheep -“vashtischwartz, many people do not have gauze in their house, the next best thing is a plastic shopping bag – they have tiny holes in that let the wound breathe. Believe me, I did first aid and the paramedic specifically said to put a plastic bag on it.”
That’s fine; but as soon as you can, buy a proper dressing for it.
Even if it’s a placebo, if it works, what’s wrong with it?
I wasn’t saying that you shouldn’t put a proper burn dressing on it, I was merely mentioning what you can do at home if you don’t have immediate access to burn dressings. Not everyone has a fully stocked first aid kit at home. And if the burn is bad enough that you need to put a proper dressing on it, then you should be going to A+E as soon as possible anyway.
DaasYochid -“Health, why would someone appreciate advice which they think is wrong or even dangerous?”
They are entitled to their opinion, but so am I. They have the right to think whatever they want about me, but why do they keep
repeating it, esp. in the same topic?
rebyidd23 -“Even if it’s a placebo, if it works, what’s wrong with it?”
I actually appreciate your question.
To answer: 1. It’s expensive; compared to Bacitracin. 2. It needs a prescription; compared to Bacitracin.
notasheep -“And if the burn is bad enough that you need to put a proper dressing on it, then you should be going to A+E as soon as possible anyway.”
Going to where? A+E? Minor burns do need a proper dressing on them, but don’t always need care in an emergency room.
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Heath, I’m not really sure what you’re protesting to much about. I looked at Silvadene cream at both WebMD and Drugs.com (where you had quoted as one of your main sources of info), and the third line on Drugs.com – way on top of the part you quoted – it says “Silver sulfadiazine topical (for the skin) is used to treat or prevent infections on areas of burned skin.” This cream was given to me by a doctor here in EY also and with all the testimony above, I think this issue should be put to rest. Sivadene cream is definitely used for treatment of burns.
On the other hand, after cooling the skin with a burn down with cold water as everyone mentioned, I use aloe vera gel. Spread some on. If it begins to hurt again later on, I spread more on. Usually two treatments is sufficiently and I’ve rarely seen a blister with this treatment.
Nechomah -“Heath, I’m not really sure what you’re protesting to much about. This cream was given to me by a doctor here in EY also and with all the testimony above, I think this issue should be put to rest. Sivadene cream is definitely used for treatment of burns.”
Dear Nechomah,
The issue wasn’t whether Silvadene is used for burns,
but whether you should use Bacitracin or Silvadene for burns.
From my post previously:
“Silvadene is an antibiotic; nothing to do with Pain relief!
Use Bacitracin, it’s OTC and it’s cheaper than Silvadene.”
Perhaps Oomis’s doctor meant that using Silvadine would help reduce pain in the long term. But, since Oomis understood it as immediate, it worked via a combination of placebo effect and vasaline effect.
The difference I see between silvadine and bacitracin is that Bacitracin is thicker (I think this is the difference between an ointment and a cream). The thicker ointment keeps it covered better but also does not let it breathe as well. Silvadine is also easier to spread on the painful skin because it isn’t as thick.
Health, as someone who has burnt herself on numerous occasions (mostly in the kitchen), I can tell you that minor burns do not need a dressing. Run under cold water for long enough and it won’t even blister. If a burn is so bad it needs a dressing on it then you need to go to A+E cause in case of infection. If it blisters but is not an open wound, it does not need a dressing, just something to protect the blister and stop it from bursting. Burns that require dressings (or the plastic bag until you get to A+E)can be nasty, open burns where the top layer of skin has been completely damaged, and this is what I am referring to.
Perhaps Oomis’s doctor meant that using Silvadine would help reduce pain in the long term. But, since Oomis understood it as immediate, it worked via a combination of placebo effect and vasaline effect. “
Thank you, but not so. The doctor was very specific that the cream would eliminate the pain. I didn’t even realize that it had antibiotic properties until later on. As to placebo effect. if one has a painful burn, I am seriously doubtful that a placebo would give immediate relief. Many people mistakenly believed that applications of butter or ice would relieve the pain, when in fact it makes the burn worse.
notasheep -“Health, as someone who has burnt herself on numerous occasions (mostly in the kitchen), I can tell you that minor burns do not need a dressing.”
You are right. But underneath clothing it might make it more comfortable.
how ’bout that?
Use Bacitracin, it’s OTC and it’s cheaper than Silvadene
Wow, you’re basically accusing the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA of perpetrating a fraud on the consumer.
I would sooner assume that Silvadene is formulated to do a better job killing the bacteria likely to be found in a burn area than is any OTC antibiotic.
DY, when I Googled around a bit (but only a bit) I did come accross doubts if it actually helps, and statements to the effect of, there is no proof that it helps. On the flip side, the anti-biotic properties of silver is ignored in most other areas. Perhaps it should be used instead of bacitracin, and should be used more often by mouth in small doses for a short term.
Health – where would it be underneath clothing? Most minor burns are on the hands (think cooking burns). How did a minor burn get through clothes and yet is still a minor burn? If it was done with clothes off at the time, but is not a bad burn, a simple plaster (band-aid) will be enough to stop it rubbing and being uncomfortable. A dressing is to stop an open wound from sticking to clothing, like I said.
He didn’t write that, I did. It was directed to him, not you
DY -“Wow, you’re basically accusing the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA of perpetrating a fraud on the consumer.
I would sooner assume that Silvadene is formulated to do a better job killing the bacteria likely to be found in a burn area than is any OTC antibiotic.”
I realize from your post that you don’t know the difference between OTC & prescription! Because of this, your two sentences above are false.
HaLeiVi – My comment to DY applies to you also.
Vashti and others — if you are trying to substitute for gauze, a clean white undershirt is a better guess than a plastic shopping bag.
Bacitracin is petroleum-based and I would NOT put it on a fresh burn that can still be cooled!
Re Silvadene — I’ve been told Dr. Bulmash (BP pediatrician) has used colloidal silver on bad diaper rash.
–Halevia
HaLeiVi -“I’ve been told Dr. Bulmash (BP pediatrician) has used colloidal silver on bad diaper rash.”
Way to go Max. I used to know him, before he was a Doc.
HeLeivi – NO! The last thing you want to put on an open burn is anything fabric! It will stick to the top layer of damaged skin and therefore when you try to pull it off it will pull off the skin with it, causing more damage. If you don’y have any gauze in the house, a plastic bag is the best thing you can put on it. Any paramedic will tell you NOT to put a clean white undershirt on, please don’t guess!
Just for reference, most gauze dressings are made of plastic…
HaLeiVi -“Bacitracin is petroleum-based and I would NOT put it on a fresh burn that can still be cooled!”
Rinse burned skin with cool water until the pain stops. Rinsing will usually stop the pain in 15 to 30 minutes. After this applying Bacitracin is just fine.
Among the many credentials I hold, one of them is ABLS. Coupled with my work experience I humbly offer the following. Health IS correct in saying that Silvadene has no intentional analgesic properties. it is simply an anti-bacterial preparation. If you have applied it and found that you no longer have pain, it is likely that you wouldnt have had the pain even without it. the purpose of applying an anti-infective agent on a burn is because your usual defenses against infection (your skin) has been compromised. Almost and topical antibacterial prep will be effective at this. the reason Silvadene is popular is that because it works across a broad variety of organisms. (not to be confused with “broad-spectrum” antibiotics) “Mycin’s” target most “common” organisms that normally live on the skin, so its a bit narrower in scope.
That said, here is some advice from just another post on the internet. Anything more that a minor (un-blistered) burn on the hands or feet should bee seen by a physician. Any burn that encircles and limb should go to an ED, EVERY TIME!! Chemical burns should go to an ED, EVERY TIME!! This includes things like that horrible Israeli oven cleaning product that should be illegal.
In general, minor burn treatment focuses first on stopping the burning process. For fat/grease/oil based burns this can be difficult as fat is hydrophobic and can still be hot enough on the surface of the skin even after a quick rinse. As for covering them afterward, it depends on the severity and area of the burn. Remember, burned skin offers you no protection from organisms outside the body. Even a minor burn can get horribly infected. Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene……
Some general rules on dressings:
1)If dressed, a non-adherent pad will allow drainage of fluids from the burn and still not stick when you change the dressing
2) Change the dressing if the burn is weeping. Nothing fosters bacterial growth quite like bodily fluid festering outside the body
3)Most any topical anti-bacterial will work, consult a physician if you should be putting any on at all.
PS, ice or ice water for cooling is not recommended because one of the functions of skin is temp regulation. After a burn, all functions of the skin that has been burned are compromised. You may actually freeze the cells in the layers below and give yourself frostbite.
Ironic, no?
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