There are some compelling reasons why this should be the case, but the main one is that burns damage the skin. And that's not good because, apart from being the largest organ of the body and keeping your insides in, your skin, peau or pelt performs a number of vital functions. These include helping to regulate the body's temperature, retaining bodily fluids and acting as a barrier against infection.
Once it gets damaged, your skin starts to lose its ability to do all three of these things and that in itself is potentially life threatening. High or low temperature, dehydration and infection can all kill you, and it doesn't take all that much for one or any of these processes to swing into action. A second degree burn will do it.
Anyone who has ever exposed naked flesh to sunshine or grabbed a hot pan fresh from the stove will be familiar with first degree burns. Often seen as superficial, these are painful, red and often cover quite large areas of the body without being too much of a threat to the body's owner. They can, however, be deceptive.
If blisters form, then a second degree burn is developing and you are starting to see not only the body's defenses in action, but also its partial breakdown. It's under attack and action that should already have been taken needs to be taken now, as a matter of urgency. The body is crying out to be cooled down.
So there's your first clue to treating a burn. You must cool it down immediately and you do this by placing the affected part of the body under cool, running water and keeping it there for at least twenty minutes. If you have trouble with boredom during this process, just keep reminding yourself that your flesh is being cooked by the convection and distribution of heat, even though its source has been removed. That should concentrate your mind a bit.
Don't use ice. That will only burn you in a different way. Use cold water and nothing else. No fats (butter) or sugars (honey). You don't want to eat the burnt bits, you want to treat them and it's a serious matter, not a confectioner's paradise.
Once the affected area is cool, cover it. If blisters do form be careful not to break them. You need your skin intact if it is to effectively protect you against several million germs all looking for a new home.
If you are really unlucky, you might one day get stuck with a third degree burn. Juggling with barbecue coals or fire eating tricks to amuse the kids can often produce these. So can hot fat. They are called third degree burns because the damage goes so deep that you probably won't even feel any pain within a few seconds of one occurring.
That's because your nerve endings have just been fried. This will be followed by loss of fluid at an alarming rate and your body going into shock as it hits panic mode and tries shutting down various systems which, unfortunately, are vital for your survival.
Once again the immediate treatment is to cool the affected part down. The fact that you can't feel anything doesn't mean that the cooking process is over. Anyone else touching the area of the burn will feel just how hot it is, and it's only when they are satisfied it feels cool to the touch that the water treatment should stop and not a moment before. The entire area of the burn then needs to be covered with a sterile dressing until the ambulance arrives. You will be calling one.
Third degree burns of any size need immediate medical attention or, to put it another way, they MUST be treated by someone who knows what they are doing. They are, without exception, potentially lethal for all the reasons given, but the most immediate danger is shock, and for that you need professional help well before it develops.
To gain an immediate increase in your burns survival rating, convince yourself that your life depends on your pelt staying intact and make these the rules for any burn that is anything more than superficial; Cool it. Cover it. Call for help.
Your skin will thank you for it and quite possibly last you a lifetime as a result.
