Patient resources and education

Caring for wounds after leaving the hospital is important. If you don’t care for the wound, it may not heal properly.

To change the dressings over wounds:

• Remove the old dressing and wash with soap and water.
• Look at the area before placing a new dressing.  Any redness and swelling should be improving. If there is new redness and swelling, this could be a sign of infection.  
• Additional signs of infection include elevated temperature, foul-smelling drainage from the wound, and generally not feeling well. You should contact your physician if you have any of these symptoms.
• How to change a Silvadene bandage
• How to change a Xeroform bandage
• Compression garments after a burn injury
• Changing a hand wrapping bandage after a burn injury
• How to change your Silavadene bandage
• How to change your Xeroform bandage

You may need more calories

People with burn injuries may need more calories and more nutrition to help promote healing. Here are some tips: 

• Eat three meals per day plus snacks, or eat smaller, more frequent meals (more than six meals per day).
• Never skip meals.
• Always keep healthy snacks nearby
• Stay away from sodas (diet and regular), sports drinks, and other sugary beverages; these drinks can fill you up without adding any nutrition. Focus on drinking milk, soy milk, milkshakes, protein shakes, and 100 percent vegetable juices or smoothies.  

Protein helps with healing

Protein, a nutrient found in meats, fish, poultry, beans, legumes, nuts, eggs, and dairy, helps with wound healing by supporting skin growth and building muscle. Eat foods with protein at every meal. 

Fruits and vegetables are good for health

For good general health, you should eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Daily multivitamins with minerals may help. 

• Take pain medication as prescribed by your physician at regular intervals to maintain consistent pain control, using the minimal dose needed to achieve relief.
• Take pain medication as prescribed 30 minutes before changing bandages to minimize pain related to bandage changes.
• Try to decrease the amount of pain medication gradually over time as your burn heals.
• Use other tools like music, virtual reality, and deep breathing to help with pain control.