Acid burn: first aid, degrees of damage and treatment methods

Features of different acids and their effects on the body

Most often, chemical injuries are caused by the following acids:

Sulfuric. The affected area first becomes white, after which a dark brown scab forms on it.
Household. Burns with acetic or citric acid cause severe redness and swelling, but no scab appears at the site of the injury.
Nitrogen. Damaged skin becomes dark brown, the scab is delimited from healthy areas by a dark gray border.
Solyanaya. A burn with hydrochloric acid is accompanied by the death of the epidermis; when the superficial vessels are damaged, the burned areas bleed.
Salicylic. A pink crust forms on the body, which quickly peels off.
Ant. The affected areas become whitish, they are separated from healthy skin by a bright red border.

According to statistics, more than 15% of burn wounds are caused by acids. The degree of damage is determined by the concentration of the substance and the duration of its contact with the skin.

Characteristic signs

To reduce the harmful effects of the product on the skin, you need to act immediately.

Pathology has the following signs:

a white crust forms in the damaged area, which has clear edges;
Over time, the white crust darkens and becomes gray or brown;
a dense scab appears;
surrounding tissues become swollen and inflamed;
with deep penetration, tissue necrosis develops, muscles and bones are affected;
sometimes gangrene forms in the damaged area.

When hazardous vapors are ingested, the following symptoms appear:

severe swelling of the mucous membranes;
bleeding from the nasal passages;
severe abdominal pain;
difficulty breathing;
Sore throat, wheezing.

Face after exposure to sulfuric acid

Degree of damage to skin and mucous membranes

Depending on the concentration of the active substance, weakly and highly concentrated acids are distinguished. The pH value of the former does not exceed 3, so they cause more severe damage. In most cases, chemical injuries are caused by acids that are freely available - battery, nitric, citric, etc.

At home, damage is caused mainly by household chemicals. In chemical plants, injuries in 94% of cases occur due to workers’ negligence regarding safety precautions. In approximately 40% of cases, acid burns occur in young children.

Degree of skin damage:

First. The reagent destroys only the outer layer of the epidermis. Swelling and red spots appear in the affected area. The victim complains of moderate pain or burning. Symptoms disappear within 1-4 days without special treatment.
Second. The aggressive substance penetrates the epidermis down to the basal layer, from which the skin regenerates. At the site of the lesion, vesicles with clear serous fluid form. The burn wound heals after 2 weeks due to the cells of the basal layer.
Third. The entire thickness of the epidermis and dermis is damaged. With milder 3A degree burns, the dermis is only partially destroyed. Its appendages - follicles, sebaceous glands - remain intact. The burn looks like a black or brown dense scab. Bubbles sometimes appear around it. Due to damage to the receptors, painful sensations are dulled. In case of 3B degree burns, the dermis is burned, but the reagent does not penetrate into the hypodermis - the subcutaneous fat layer.
Fourth. All soft tissues are affected. There is charring of muscles, tendons and even bones.

Acid burns are dangerous due to necrosis, that is, death, of the affected areas. Failure to provide assistance in a timely manner can lead to wound infection and purulent complications.

Most often, complications occur when chemical solutions get into the eyes. Inadequate emergency care can lead to corneal scarring and blindness. Therefore, in case of such injuries, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist.

When and which doctor to contact

A doctor's help is necessary for any acid burn. Only a specialist can correctly determine the extent of the damage and prescribe adequate treatment. For mild first degree injuries, if less than 5% of the skin is affected, hospitalization is not necessary . The medical professional will prescribe a treatment regimen and send the victim home.

The patient is urgently admitted to a medical facility if:

pain shock;
large burn area;
acute pain;
damage to internal organs, genitals, face and mucous membranes.

Treatment of injuries caused by acid occurs in the burn department by a combustiologist.

What to do in case of an acid burn: first aid

In a panic, the victim or people around him do not know what actions to take if acid comes into contact with the skin. Medical care for chemical burns involves neutralizing the reagent, cooling and treating the wound with pharmaceutical ointments or sprays. The likelihood of complications and the duration of subsequent treatment depend on the correctness of actions.

First aid for acid burns:

Washing burned skin. Remove clothing from the affected area. If it has stuck, it is carefully cut with scissors. Rinse the reddened areas with running water for 20 minutes. Do not dry the wound with napkins or clean gauze.
Neutralization of the chemical reagent. To reduce the chemical activity of the acid, it is neutralized with an alkali. The wound surface is washed with a weak solution of soda, ammonia, baby or laundry soap.
Eye wash. If the acid solution gets on the mucous membrane of the eyes, rinse for 20-25 minutes. To neutralize the reagent, use a 2% soda solution and call a doctor at home.
Treatment of the wound. For superficial injury, anti-burn agents with provitamin B5 are applied - D-Panthenol, Pantexol, Pantekrem, etc. If blisters form on the body, apply a sterile bandage after treating the burned area with Zinc ointment.

A chemical burn of the esophagus is fraught with the greatest complications.
When taking reagents orally, you should drink plenty of water with baking soda added. Burns in industrial plants are caused by various acids. Therefore, different alkaline solutions must be used to neutralize acids:

saline - soap or soda solution;
citric and boric – magnesium bicarbonate;
salicylic and carbonic - running water.

Burns of the ENT organs often occur when inhaling fumes of caustic acids. To alleviate the condition of the victim, you need to take him out into fresh air, rinse his mouth and nasopharynx with a weak soda solution.

Masks with nicotinic acid for the face: the best recipes

2 weeks after using the masks, you will notice positive dynamics: the obvious network of wrinkles around the eyes will disappear, sagging will disappear, and the skin will noticeably freshen. To get only the benefits from home cosmetic procedures, strictly follow the recipe for each product. We will prepare face masks nicotinic acid in ampoules .

Soothing mask with nicotinic acid

The product will help the skin quickly cope with the inflammatory reaction and irritation, and will effectively cleanse the face of acne:

Mix 1 tbsp. l. Agave juice with the contents of 2 ampoules of “nicotine”.
Soak a cotton pad in the solution and wipe your face.
After 20 minutes, wash your face.

Ginger mask with nicotinic acid

Be sure to try this composition if you are bothered by an oily shine on your face, pigmentation spots and wrinkles:

Combine 1 tbsp. l. ginger juice with 2 ampoules of niacin.
Treat your face with the solution using a cotton pad.
Rinse your face with warm water after 15 minutes.

Enriched face cream with nicotinic acid

To make your skin more elastic, use the following recommendation:

Add 2-3 drops of nicotinic acid to the jar of cream you are currently using.
Mix the vitamin liquid with the cream well until smooth.
Apply a thin layer to problem areas and do not wash off.

Kefir mask with nicotinic acid

To whiten your face and make wrinkles less noticeable, prepare the following mask:

In 1 tbsp. l. kefir pour 1 tsp. “nicotines”, mix into a single product.
Apply the mixture to your face. The duration of the mask is 20 minutes.
Rinse your face with water.

Banana mask with nicotinic acid

This is an ambulance for severe peeling of the facial skin and the presence of deep expression wrinkles:

Cook oatmeal in milk without salt or sugar.
Combine equal portions of porridge and ripe banana pulp. Next add 10 drops of niacin.
Distribute the mask over your entire face for 20 minutes.
Rinse off with warm water.

Glycerin mask with nicotinic acid

If your face looks haggard and tired even in the morning, wrinkles appear sharply, and there is not enough hydration, this mask is exactly what you need:

Mix 1 tsp. oil retinol with equal portions of glycerin and tocopherol. Lastly, add 1 tsp to the remaining ingredients. still mineral water.
Heat the mixture slightly in a water bath.
Now add 1 ampoule of vitamin B12 and 1 ampoule of niacin to the mask and mix the solution.
Soak a napkin with the prepared vitamin mixture and apply it to your face.
After 30 minutes, rinse your face and apply a thin layer of nourishing cream.

Reviews about the use of nicotinic acid for the face are mostly positive. Women agree that the drug allows you to look several years younger in a short period of time: puffiness disappears from the face, the eyes become more open, fine wrinkles are smoothed out, and age spots disappear. In a word, you gain confidence in your own attractiveness.

Further therapy

A combustiologist treats acid burns. Treatment for chemical injuries is longer than for thermal injuries. Depending on the depth of the wound, the scab peels off within 12-15 days. Underneath is a weeping pale pink surface, sometimes with faint signs of regeneration.

Principles of treatment for burns caused by acids:

anesthesia;
local treatment with healing ointments;
systemic therapy with vitamin and mineral complexes;
hardware treatment of post-burn scars.

Burns from nitric acid and other aggressive substances cause severe pain in the victim. To relieve them, non-narcotic analgesics are used, which have an analgesic and moderate anti-inflammatory effect:

Ketoprofen;
Ibuprofen;
Flurbiprofen;
Indomethacin;
Ketorolac, etc.

3rd and 4th degree burns are treated only under the supervision of a combustiologist.
Incorrect therapy is dangerous due to purulent and gangrenous complications. To speed up the healing of burn wounds, ointments with regenerating, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects are used:

Solcoseryl - increases oxygen consumption by the skin, which promotes the regeneration of affected areas;
Levomekol – destroys bacteria, relieves inflammation, accelerates scarring of the skin;
Bepanten – stimulates cellular metabolism, regeneration of burned epidermis;
Ebermin - treats deep burns, heals trophic ulcers, infected wounds;
Dermazin – neutralizes pathogenic flora, preventing purulent inflammation of burns;
Rescuer - softens the scab, accelerates its rejection and healing of damaged skin areas.

Due to the destruction of protein components of the skin by acids, burns do not heal for a long time. To speed up regeneration, take vitamin and mineral complexes that contain:

retinol – strengthens local immunity, prevents infectious inflammation of burns;
Omega-3 – relieves inflammation and accelerates regenerative reactions in epidermal cells;
tocopherol – removes free radicals, accelerating scarring of the epidermis;
cyanocobalamin – stimulates the restoration of damaged nerve fibers.

If the skin is damaged by acids, it is recommended to take Alphabet, Vitrum, Complivit, Multitabs, Revit, Sertovit, etc.

If not only the epidermis, but also the dermis is damaged, it is advisable to take vitamin preparations with glucosamine, calcium and collagen.

Acids often leave noticeable scars on the body. To prevent or eliminate them, they resort to hardware procedures. At the stage of burn healing, the following are used:

laser therapy;
reflexology;
phototherapy;
magnetotherapy.

In severe cases, treatment is performed surgically. For deep burns, excision of the scab and dead tissue is required. In case of extensive damage, they resort to skin grafting, the essence of which is to recreate the burned area of skin.

What is prohibited to do

When providing emergency care, many make mistakes that lead to complications.

Doctors strictly prohibit:

treat acid burns with vegetable oils;
wash the affected area with hydrogen peroxide;
puncture the bubbles;
tear off stuck-on pieces of clothing;
wash off sulfuric acid with water;
rub your eyes if the reagent gets on the conjunctiva.

The absence of pain indicates damage to the deep layers of the skin. Such burns should be treated in a hospital or on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a physician.

Who is at risk for acid burns?

Acid burns are common among people who work with chemicals. In most cases, injuries occur when safety precautions are not followed. The risk group includes:

firefighters;
chemical laboratory employees;
electric forklift repairers;
liquidators of chemical accidents;
workers in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Exposed areas of the body are susceptible to burns - face, arms, legs, neck, eyes. The greatest danger is caused by injuries caused by hydrofluoric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids.

The lack of protective equipment when working with aggressive substances in 86% of cases leads to chemical burns of 3B and 4 degrees, which are difficult to treat.

Dangerous consequences

The damaging effect of acids depends on the location of the burn. When the reagent gets on the skin, the protein components of cells are destroyed, which leads to tissue necrosis. This is fraught with:

infectious infection;
suppuration;
non-healing ulcers;
gangrene.

If acid damages large areas of the body, scars form in the form of swellings. When joints are affected, contractures occur - limited mobility due to scarring of the skin.

Contact of concentrated acids with the eyes is dangerous:

swelling and melting of the cornea;
clouding of the lens;
increased intraocular pressure;
partial or complete blindness.

An acid burn of the esophagus is fraught with internal bleeding, respiratory failure, and the formation of esophageal-bronchial fistulas. Acids cause general poisoning, which leads to disruption of cardiac activity, consciousness and even death.

The use of nicotinic acid for the face in tablets

Even if it’s too early to worry about wrinkles, our skin quite often gives us “surprises” in the form of a scattering of small pimples on the forehead or single purulent nodules on the cheek and chin. Even more often, absolutely all girls and women have to deal with peeling of unknown origin on the face. Thus, the skin protests against the use of cosmetics that are inappropriate or too rough in the form of scrubs.

To restore damaged epidermis, there are many external use products - their range is pleasantly surprising and the labels of the vast majority of such cosmetics contain nicotinic acid. Homemade niacin-based masks, which we have already discussed, are also effective.

There is another way to restore and enhance the natural beauty of the skin with the help of nicotinic acid. You can purchase tablets of the drug at the pharmacy and take them as part of a course of vitamin therapy. If you decide not to give problem skin a single chance, read the important rules:

Nicotinic acid tablets are sold without a prescription. However, it still doesn’t hurt to discuss the specifics of treatment with a therapist. The drug is contraindicated in young children and people with diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys.
On average, the course of treatment lasts no more than 14 days. During the day, drink 2 tablets of nicotinic acid after meals.
You should not change the duration of the course yourself. The first results will be noticeable after 7 – 10 days. Treatment with niacin tablets is recommended to be combined with the external use of nicotinic acid as part of homemade cosmetic masks.
15–20 minutes after taking nicotinic acid facial redness is observed . Don't let this reaction scare you - it's completely normal. A strange tingling and slight burning sensation on the skin occurs in all women who take niacin tablets. Soon these unpleasant symptoms disappear without a trace. Why is this happening? The active ingredient of the drug affects the cells in such a way that the movement of blood through the veins accelerates. On this basis, the pores of the epidermis expand - they are ready to receive oxygen and nutrients in full. If your face burns after taking nicotinic acid , know that everything is going according to plan.

Nicotinic acid helps to some extent eliminate the signs of the unfortunate orange peel on problem areas of the body. To make the drug more effective, improve your diet by regularly consuming low-fat cottage cheese. This product, together with niacin, causes subcutaneous fat to “melt.”

Prevention measures

To prevent burns from concentrated acids, the following safety rules must be observed:

chemically active liquids and powders should be stored in sealed containers out of the reach of children;
work with acids in a well-ventilated area;
hazardous reagents should not be stored on the same shelves as food products;
Before using aggressive substances, be sure to protect your eyes with goggles and your hands with rubber gloves;
Bottles and jars of acids should not be left open.

The prognosis of treatment depends on the concentration of the reagents, the duration of contact with the skin or mucous membrane. Superficial injuries in 96% of cases end favorably, but only with competent emergency care.