In fact, we burn ourselves so frequently that we even categorize the injury by degree: first, second or third. It's first-degree if it is red and painful, with no blisters, and goes away after seven to ten days (a minor sunburn, for example); second-degree if it oozes or blisters and has a raw, moist surface that is painful to touch; and third-degree if it leaves the skin charred and white or cream-colored. Because third-degree burns damage nerve endings, they may be less painful than other burns. But don't be fooled. Third-degree burns can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention, as do large first- and second-degree burns. First- and second-degree burns that are smaller than a quarter on a child or a silver dollar on an adult, however, can usually be treated at home.
For the best burn treatment outside a hospital, the old standbys still apply: Submerge the burned area in cool water, apply burn ointment and wrap it in a clean bandage. And for even better results, you might consider adding a new twist to this old remedy: nutritional supplements. Research indicates that certain vitamins and minerals can not only speed the healing of a burn but also minimize the scarring once the burn is gone.
The Anatomy of a Burn
To understand the nutrient connection, it helps to first understand what happens when you get a burn.
After a significant burn (one that is roughly 20 percent or more of the body's surface), the body's energy demands increase 1½ to 2 times, tissues deteriorate quickly, fat deposits decrease, and proteins start to break down, all of which leaves the body nutritionally bankrupt.
Burning yourself on a moderately hot pan handle will certainly (and thankfully) not elicit such a tremendous response. But even on the small scale of a minor burn, experts say, it's important to get enough of the proper nutrients--especially vitamins A, C and E and the mineral zinc--to promote healing.
"There isn't scientific evidence to back up the need for a special diet for people with nonsignificant burns," says Randolph Wong, M.D., a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and director of the burn unit at Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu. "But based on common sense, I don't discount the benefits of increasing your intakes of these nutrients to be sure that you're getting the Daily Values."
| Prescriptions for Healing Doctors agree that good nutrition is important for healing burns of all sizes. Here are the nutrients they recommend as key fire fighters when you're nursing a minor burn at home. Nutrient Daily Amount/Application
Oral
Beta-carotene 5,000-25,000 international units Vitamin C 250-1,000 milligrams Vitamin E 30 international units Zinc 15 milligrams Topical
Vitamin E Oil from a capsule or a water-soluble cream (Gordon's Vite E Creme, Aloe Grande Creme or Lazer Creme), applied once a burn has healed to prevent scarring
MEDICAL ALERT: You should seek immediate medical attention for any serious burn. If you are taking anticoagulant drugs, you should not take oral vitamin E supplements. |
Burns Eat Vitamin E
When it comes to nutrition, burn studies around the globe are yielding similar results. Certain vitamins known as antioxidants are vital contributors to burn healing because they fight free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that steal electrons from your body's healthy molecules to balance themselves, and in the process, they do all kinds of damage to your body's cells. Though everyone forms some free radicals through normal activities such as breathing and sun exposure, their production is accelerated by injury, especially burns. Antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamins C and E neutralize free radicals by offering their own electrons and so protect healthy molecules from harm.
Although your body is armed with a hefty supply of antioxidants, free radical activity is so rampant after a serious burn that your supply is quickly depleted, giving free radicals free rein.
In fact, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Shriners Burns Institute, also in Galveston, found that the vitamin E levels of 13 people admitted with serious burns were only about one-fourth of the levels of people who had not suffered burns. Plus the people with burns had more than twice the free radical activity of those without burns. To make matters worse, the vitamin E levels among the people with burns continued to drop throughout their two-week hospital stays, leaving them more vulnerable to cell damage and scarring.
Sunflower oil, wheat germ oil and safflower oil are among the best foods for boosting your dietary vitamin E. And if you're nursing a minor burn, you might want to take a multivitamin/mineral supplement to be sure you receive the Daily Value of 30 international units, which experts say is all you need to maintain healthy levels of this antioxidant while treating a minor burn.
For extra protection against scarring, you can also slather vitamin E on your healed burn, says Dr. Wong. "We use vitamin E as an antioxidant to control the amount of scarring on the skin," he says. "People can rub on the oil from a vitamin E capsule to help heal a small burn, or they can use a water-soluble vitamin E cream such as Gordon's Vite E Creme, Aloe Grande Creme (both from Gordon Laboratories) or Lazer Creme (from Pedinol)."
| Food Factors Because burns speed up your metabolism, your nutritional needs go into overdrive. You need more vitamins and minerals as well as more protein. Here's what doctors use for major burns and what may help for those that are less serious. Pack in the protein. The best nutritional plan for people with significant burns is a high-calorie, high-protein diet in the hospital. With minor burns, your body doesn't use nearly as much energy for healing as it does with serious burns, so you probably don't need extra calories. But "common sense indicates that you probably want to step up your protein intake," says Randolph Wong, M.D., a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and director of the burn unit at Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu. Prime protein sources include tuna, turkey, lean beef and chicken. |
Vitamin C Mends Damage
Another free radical scavenger that can help increase healing after a burn is vitamin C. In fact, one of vitamin C's major duties is to build collagen (skin tissue) in the body, says Michele Gottschlich, R.D., Ph.D., director of nutrition services at Shriners Burns Institute in Cincinnati. And collagen building is just what you need following a burn!
As evidence of vitamin C's skin-healing power, researchers in the burn center of Cook County Hospital of the University of Illinois at Chicago found that laboratory animals supplemented with high doses of vitamin C following major burns lost significantly less fluid from open, leaking burns than those not supplemented with vitamin C. Quick healing is especially important because people frequently lose many vital nutrients before a burn heals over.
The Daily Value for vitamin C is 60 milligrams. But most experts agree that this amount is woefully inadequate for optimum health, particularly when the body has an added stress such as a burn. Instead, most experts recommend between 250 and 1,000 milligrams as a safe daily intake. Supplementation can help you boost your vitamin C levels, as can eating plenty of broccoli, spinach and citrus fruits.
Bet on Beta-Carotene
Another nutrient that swings into action following a burn is beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the body.
In fact, after studying 12 men and women admitted for major burns (burns over 20 percent of their bodies), researchers at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor concluded that people undergoing burn treatment should get supplements of beta-carotene, along with vitamins C and E. When the men and women weren't getting supplements, the researchers found, their beta-carotene levels fell below normal, which lowered their defenses against free radical damage.
Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and cantaloupe, are packed with beta-carotene. Experts recommend a daily intake of between 5,000 and 25,000 international units. One large carrot contains about 20,000 international units of beta-carotene; one-third cup of mashed sweet potatoes contains about 5,000 international units.
Zinc for Healing
Zinc, a mineral found in foods such as oysters, wheat germ and Alaskan king crab, has been receiving attention lately for its role as a wound healer. And studies are finding that as with the antioxidant nutrients, levels of zinc decrease after a major burn.
"Zinc is an important mineral in healing burns, large or small," says Dr. Gottschlich, who relies on supplementation for people suffering from serious burns. "For small burns, getting your nutrients by eating the right foods is probably good enough."
The Daily Value for zinc is 15 milligrams, an amount you can easily surpass by treating yourself to a half-dozen steamed oysters. Other zinc-rich foods include beef, lamb, peanuts, wheat germ and bran flakes.
