Burns and scalds treatment
First aid and treatment for burns and scalds — cooling the burn, protecting the skin and managing pain — with clear guidance on which burns need A&E or a specialist burns service.
✓ Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant · last reviewed September 2026 · next review September 2027 · how we review
In short
- First aid for any burn: cool under cool running water for 20 minutes, remove jewellery/loose clothing (not anything stuck), cover loosely with cling film — never use creams, butter, oils, ice or toothpaste.
- Call 999 or go to A&E for large or deep burns, white or charred skin, blistering burns to the face/hands/feet/genitals, any chemical or electrical burn, smoke inhalation, or signs of shock.
- A private urgent-care or walk-in clinic treats small, shallow burns only and is not a substitute for A&E or a specialist burns service.
- Burns can scar and many need their tetanus cover checked; do not burst blisters.
A plain-English summary. The detail — including risks and recovery — is below.
At a glance
A general guide. Your specialist will give you advice for your situation.
Prompt cooling limits the depth of damage and eases pain
A large or deep burn, white or charred skin, or a burn to the face, hands, feet or genitals — these need A&E or a burns service, not minor-burn care.
Cool under running water for 20 minutes, remove jewellery and loose clothing, cover loosely with cling film, keep warm, and take pain relief. Seek...
Clear first-aid and home-care advice, including not to burst blisters or apply creams.
Cool under running water for 20 minutes, remove jewellery and loose clothing, cover loosely with cling film, keep...
The burn is dressed and kept clean and dry. Some pain, redness and blistering is normal. Use pain relief and keep...
Many small, shallow burns have healed. Deeper burns are still healing and may need ongoing dressings and...
Healed skin remains delicate and sensitive to the sun. Deeper burns may scar; the scar matures and changes over...
What is the treatment for burns and scalds?
A burn is damage to the skin from heat, and a scald is a burn from something wet, such as hot water or steam. Burns can also be caused by chemicals, electricity, friction or the sun. The most important treatment is immediate first aid: cool the burn as soon as possible.
The first-aid steps are the same for most burns. Cool the burn under cool or lukewarm running water for at least 20 minutes — not ice, iced water, creams, butter, oils or toothpaste. Remove any clothing or jewellery near the burn, but do not pull off anything stuck to the skin. Once cooled, cover the burn loosely with cling film laid over it (not wrapped tightly), or a clean plastic bag for a hand or foot. Keep the rest of the person warm, especially children and older people, as cooling a larger area can lower body temperature. Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, and do not burst any blisters.
This is a serious-injury topic, so the safety rules come first. A serious or life-threatening burn needs 999 or A&E now — do not wait. Call 999 for any large or deep burn, a burn that causes white or charred skin, burns to the face, hands, arms, feet, legs or genitals that blister, any chemical or electrical burn, a burn with smoke inhalation or trouble breathing, or signs of shock (pale, clammy, faint, fast breathing). A private urgent-care or walk-in clinic is for small, shallow burns only and is not a substitute for A&E or a specialist burns service.
Cooling and dressing a burn helps it heal and reduces damage, but it cannot reverse a deep burn, and burns can scar. Many burns also need their tetanus cover checked.
Types, options & approaches
There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.
When does a burn need A&E or 999?
| Burn | May be minor / self-care | Call 999 / go to A&E |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Small and shallow (sun-burn-like) | Larger than the person's hand, or deep |
| Look | Red and painful, heals quickly | White, waxy, charred or leathery |
| Site | On a non-delicate area | Face, hands, feet, genitals, or all-round a limb |
| Cause | Brief hot touch or mild scald | Chemical, electrical, or with smoke inhalation |
If in any doubt, treat it as serious: cool it, cover it, and call 999 or go to A&E. For advice on a small burn, use NHS 111 if you are in England, Scotland or Wales; in Northern Ireland, contact your GP out-of-hours service or your local HSC Trust's Phone First service.
Preparing for your treatment
- Know the first-aid steps in advance: cool for 20 minutes, remove jewellery/loose clothing, cover with cling film.
- For a serious burn, call 999 — do not drive yourself; cool and cover while waiting for help.
- For a chemical burn, note the chemical if safe to do so, remove contaminated clothing and rinse the skin thoroughly.
- For an electrical burn, make sure the power source is switched off before touching the person.
- Have cling film or a clean plastic bag, and simple pain relief, accessible at home.
- Know roughly when your last tetanus vaccine was, as burns can be tetanus-prone.
- For a child, an older person or anyone vulnerable, get advice early — their skin and risks differ.
What happens
First aid comes first and matters most: cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes (and it still helps within about 3 hours of the injury), remove jewellery and loose clothing, and cover the burn loosely with cling film. Keep the rest of the person warm.
When a burn is assessed, a clinician looks at its size, depth and site, and how it happened, and decides whether it can be treated as a minor burn or needs a specialist burns service. They clean the burn, apply a suitable dressing, advise on pain relief, and check your tetanus cover, giving a booster if needed. Blisters are usually left intact.
For serious burns, hospital treatment may include stronger pain relief, fluids given into a vein, specialist dressings, and sometimes surgery such as skin grafts. Larger or deeper burns, and burns in delicate areas, are looked after by a specialist burns service.
You are given clear advice on caring for the burn at home, changing dressings, watching for infection, protecting the healing skin, and when to seek more help. Burns are reviewed to check healing and to plan any further care.
Is this treatment right for me?
A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.
May not be suitable if…
- A large or deep burn, white or charred skin, or a burn to the face, hands, feet or genitals — these need A&E or a burns service, not minor-burn care.
- Any chemical or electrical burn, which can be deeper than it looks and needs emergency assessment.
- A burn with smoke inhalation, breathing difficulty, or signs of shock — this needs 999.
- A burn in a baby, young child, older person, pregnant woman or immunocompromised person where minor-burn care is not appropriate without advice.
Delay or rearrange if…
- First aid has not been done — cool the burn before anything else.
- You are unsure how deep or serious a burn is — get advice rather than assume it is minor.
- There are any emergency features (size, depth, site, cause, breathing, shock) — call 999, do not delay.
- Tetanus status is uncertain for a tetanus-prone burn.
Alternatives to discuss
- Emergency care (999 / A&E / specialist burns service) for serious burns.
- NHS 111 for advice on a small burn or where to go (in England, Scotland or Wales); in Northern Ireland, your GP out-of-hours service or your HSC Trust's Phone First service.
- Pharmacist advice and simple dressings for very minor burns.
- GP review for a small burn that is slow to heal or a tetanus booster.
- Specialist burns and reconstructive services for deeper burns and scarring.
Before you decide
Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.
What matters most to me?
Think about symptoms, daily life, work, caring responsibilities, sport, fertility, travel, appearance and anxiety — the right choice depends on your priorities, not just the medical facts.
What are all my options?
Ask about waiting, monitoring, medicines, rehabilitation, a smaller or larger procedure, a different test, NHS referral, or a second opinion where that would help.
What would make me pause?
Active infection, pregnancy, unstable medical problems, smoking, medicines that increase bleeding, poor support at home, or feeling pressured are all reasons to slow down and get tailored advice.
What happens if I do nothing today?
For some problems, waiting is safe; for others, delay can make treatment harder. A good consultation should explain the trade-off in plain English.
Benefits
- Prompt cooling limits the depth of damage and eases pain
- A clean dressing protects the burn and lowers the risk of infection
- Assessment identifies burns that need specialist care
- Pain relief and a clear plan make healing more comfortable
- Tetanus cover and infection risk are checked and managed
Risks & complications
- Pain, redness and blistering as the burn heals
- A change in skin colour (paler or darker) over the healed area for a time
- Itching as the skin heals
- Needing dressing changes and a wound that takes days to weeks to heal
- Wound infection needing antibiotics or further treatment
- Scarring, which is more likely with deeper burns
- A burn turning out to be deeper than it first looked, needing specialist care
- Tightness or reduced movement if a burn is over a joint
- Serious complications of large or deep burns, including shock and fluid loss
- Permanent scarring or contractures needing reconstructive surgery
- Tetanus, if a tetanus-prone burn is not covered (rare in the UK because of vaccination)
- Smoke inhalation or airway injury with burns from fire or in enclosed spaces
Burns can be more serious than they look, and depth can be hard to judge early. The most important things are to cool and cover the burn, to recognise when it needs emergency care, and to keep the person warm. Be especially careful with babies and young children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system, and with chemical and electrical burns. Ask whether your tetanus cover is up to date, and what signs of infection or worsening mean you should seek help.
Published figures to discuss
Burn outcomes depend heavily on the size, depth, site and cause of the burn, how quickly first aid was given, and the person's age and health, so single reliable percentages are not meaningful for a patient guide. Depth can be hard to judge early and a burn can evolve over the first days. The most useful safety points are that prompt cooling reduces damage, deeper burns are more likely to scar, and certain burns always need emergency or specialist care regardless of how they look at first.
| Figure | Reported range | How to interpret it | Source / confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burn depth worsening if cooling is delayed | Early first aid is time-sensitive; UK first-aid advice recommends cooling under running water for 20 minutes | Cool the burn, not the whole patient; avoid hypothermia in children and older people. | Guide sourcesClinical context |
| Burn infection | Uncommon in small superficial burns, higher with deeper, dirty or delayed-care burns | Increasing redness, swelling, pus, fever or worsening pain should prompt review. | NHS — Burns and scaldsnhs.ukSource-linked context |
| Scarring, contracture or functional loss | Higher with deep burns, hand/face/genital burns and burns crossing joints | These sites often need specialist burns advice even when the surface area seems small. | Guide sourcesClinical context |
| Underestimating burn size in children | Common practical error | Children have different body proportions and lose heat/fluid more easily, so thresholds for specialist advice are lower. | Guide sourcesClinical context |
These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.
What happens afterwards
Small, shallow burns often heal in about two weeks; deeper or larger burns take longer and may need specialist care and dressings. Protecting the healing skin and watching for infection are the priorities.
- Redness, mild swelling and tenderness around the burn
- Blisters that should be left intact to protect the skin underneath
- Itching as the skin heals
- New skin that is paler, pinker or more sensitive than the surrounding area for a while
Aftercare
- Keep the burn clean and dry, and change dressings exactly as advised.
- Do not burst blisters, and do not apply creams, butter, oils or home remedies to the burn.
- Use simple pain relief such as paracetamol or ibuprofen if needed.
- Protect healing skin from the sun, and keep it covered when outdoors for several months.
- Watch for signs of infection — increasing pain, redness, swelling, pus or fever.
- Check your tetanus cover is up to date, as burns can be tetanus-prone.
- Attend any review appointment to check healing and plan further care.
- Seek help if the burn is not healing, looks infected, or you are worried.
- Spare dressings and instructions for changing them
- Simple pain relief at home
- A note of infection warning signs
- Sun protection for the healing skin
- Date of any review appointment
- Tetanus status confirmed
Scars and how they heal
Burns can leave a scar, and how likely this is depends mainly on how deep the burn is. Very shallow burns often heal with little or no scar, though the skin may stay paler or darker than usual for a while. Deeper (partial- or full-thickness) burns are much more likely to scar, and some need specialist burns and reconstructive care, including skin grafts. Burn scars can be raised, tight or itchy, and a scar over a joint can occasionally tighten and limit movement (a contracture), needing further treatment. Healing skin is delicate and burns easily, so keeping it out of strong sun and covered for several months helps. A specialist burns team can advise on scar management, including dressings, massage, pressure garments or, later, surgery if needed.
⚠ Get urgent help if…
- A burn larger than the person's hand, or any deep burn — call 999 or go to A&E
- Skin that looks white, waxy, charred or leathery, or a usually not painful burn — A&E now
- Burns to the face, hands, feet, genitals, or all the way around a limb — A&E
- Any chemical or electrical burn — A&E, even if it looks minor
- Trouble breathing, a hoarse voice, soot around the nose or mouth, or being in smoke or fire — call 999
- Signs of shock — pale, cold, clammy skin, fast breathing, dizziness or fainting — call 999
- A burn becoming more painful, red, swollen, smelly or leaking pus, with fever — possible infection
- Severe muscle stiffness or spasms, or trouble opening the jaw — possible tetanus, call 999
Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.
General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your specialist gives you.
Results & realistic expectations
A good result is a burn that heals without infection, with as little scarring as the depth of the injury allows, and pain that is well controlled. Small, shallow burns usually heal fully within a couple of weeks.
Treatment cannot undo damage that has already happened: a deep burn will not become shallow, and deeper burns commonly scar and sometimes need surgery. Honest care means cooling and protecting the burn, getting the right level of help quickly, and being realistic that some burns leave a lasting mark and need specialist follow-up.
Once a burn has healed and any scar has matured over several months, the result is generally settled, though burn scars can keep changing for a year or more. Healed skin may always be a little different in colour or texture and remains sun-sensitive. Deeper burns and scars over joints sometimes need ongoing care, and a tight or troublesome scar should be reviewed rather than left.
Related tests, treatments or support
Burn care often goes with other steps: a tetanus booster, antibiotics if infection develops, specialist dressings, and review by a burns service for anything beyond a minor burn. Deeper burns may involve skin grafts and reconstructive and scar treatment over time, and sometimes physiotherapy to keep a joint moving.
Follow-up & long-term care
Minor burns may need a dressing change and a check that they are healing. Larger or deeper burns are followed up by a burns service to monitor healing, manage dressings, and plan any further treatment such as grafts or scar care. You should leave knowing how to care for the burn, what infection signs to watch for, and who to contact if you are worried.
- Keep healed burn skin moisturised if advised, and protect it from the sun for several months.
- Follow any scar-management plan, such as massage, silicone dressings or pressure garments.
- Attend burns-service or scar-clinic reviews for deeper burns.
- Keep up gentle movement if a burn is over a joint, as advised, to prevent tightness.
Repeat, follow-on and what comes next
- A burn can turn out deeper than it first looked and need a change in treatment or specialist referral.
- Deeper burns may need surgery such as skin grafting, and sometimes more than one operation.
- Burn scars may need ongoing treatment, and a tight scar over a joint can need releasing surgery later.
- Dressings often need changing several times as a burn heals.
Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.
What good aftercare looks like
- Clear first-aid and home-care advice, including not to burst blisters or apply creams.
- A plan for dressing changes and for reviewing healing.
- Honest scar advice and referral to a burns service for deeper burns.
- Tetanus cover checked and arranged where needed.
- A named contact route, clear infection warning signs, and sun-protection advice.
What affects the cost
Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:
- Whether you use a free NHS service or a paid private clinic for a minor burn
- The clinician treating you and the size and depth of the burn
- Dressings, which for burns may need changing several times
- A tetanus booster or antibiotics if needed
- Follow-up reviews to check healing
- Specialist burns-service care, and any surgery or scar treatment for deeper burns
- The fee for assessment and treatment of the burn
- Dressings and the cost of repeat dressing changes
- Any tetanus booster or antibiotics
- Whether follow-up reviews are included
- What happens, and what it costs, if the burn becomes infected or is deeper than thought
- What happens, and what it costs, if specialist burns-service care or surgery is needed
On the NHS? Burn care is provided free on the NHS, including at A&E and specialist burns services; private urgent-care clinics treat small, shallow burns only and are not a substitute for A&E or a burns service.
You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.
Consent traps and marketing red flags
These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.
Consent traps
- Treating a burn as minor without checking its depth, site and cause.
- Applying creams or remedies that should not go on a fresh burn, or bursting blisters.
- Not checking tetanus cover for a tetanus-prone burn.
- No honest discussion that deeper burns scar and may need specialist care or surgery.
- No clear advice on infection signs, sun protection, and when to seek help.
Marketing red flags
- A clinic implying it can treat serious, deep or chemical/electrical burns that belong in A&E.
- Promising 'scarless' burn healing.
- Selling creams or products claimed to prevent all burn scarring.
- No mention of first-aid cooling, tetanus cover, or when emergency care is needed.
Choosing a specialist safely
- Check the specialist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
- Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
- You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the specialist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
- Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
- You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.
Questions to ask your medical professional
Take this to your consultation. A good specialist will welcome every one of these.
- How deep is my burn, and does it need a specialist burns service?
- Is my tetanus cover up to date for this burn?
- How should I care for the dressing, and when should it be changed?
- What signs of infection or worsening should make me seek help?
- Is this burn likely to scar, and what can help?
- Do I need a review, and where and when?
- Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
- Will you be the specialist who carries out my treatment, and who looks after me afterwards?
- What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
- What does a realistic result look like — and what can this treatment not achieve?
- What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
- Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
- What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?
Frequently asked questions
What should I put on a burn straight away?
How do I know if a burn needs A&E?
Should I burst a blister?
Can a walk-in clinic treat a burn?
Will my burn scar?
Do I need a tetanus injection after a burn?
How do I treat sunburn?
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How we made this page
Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →
Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.
Sources & standards: NHS — Burns and scalds NHS — Burns and scalds: treatment British Burn Association — Cool the burn wound (first aid) St John Ambulance — Burns and scalds first aid NHS — Do I need a tetanus jab after an injury? NHS 111 online (England) nidirect — Urgent and emergency care services (Northern Ireland) nidirect — GP out-of-hours service (Northern Ireland)
Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.
Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.
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