If you have inflicted harm to your face or head and you begin to experience blurred or double vision, mental confusion, dizziness, nausea, and/or extreme sleepiness please get medical help immediately as you could be at serious risk.
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Chemical burns should be washed thoroughly with water for at least 10 minutes and it is recommended that you see a Dr, as some chemicals can react adversely to certain ointments and even open air.
Burns are usually very painful. To help reduce the pain and to prevent further tissue damage you should put the burnt area under a cold running tap or immerse it in cold water. Applying a cold compress is also helpful e.g. ice cubes wrapped in a clean cloth and held on the burn. After the burn has been treated with cold water for at least 10 minutes, you should loosely apply a clean, non-fluffy dressing to the wound. Elevating the injured part will help to reduce the swelling. It is essential to keep a burn clean as they become easily infected. You should not puncture or drain any blistering or coat the wound with butter/margarine or any other ointments or salves as this can increase the risk of infection.
Usually burnt skin looks red and inflamed and is very painful to touch. If however the burn is more serious and the skin has actually died, it will look white and leathery and there will be no sensation left. This is serious and you need to see a Dr, because skin grafting may be necessary. As a general rule, burns to the hands and face should always be seen by a Dr because they can cause bad scarring and restriction of movement. Any large burns e.g. more than an inch or so in diameter, should also be seen by a Dr.
If however a cut is more deep and severe you may have damaged a vein or artery. Blood from veins is very dark in colour, almost purple, and it flows out of the wound. Some bigger veins will produce a lot more blood than the smaller ones and it can be difficult to stop. If an artery is cut or damaged the blood is generally much brighter red in colour, than blood from veins. Blood from an artery will squirt out of the wound in time with your heart beat. If you have cut or damaged a large vein or artery, there will be a lot of blood, and you need to get emergency treatment as soon as possible, as the bleeding can be very hard to stop and loss of a large amount of blood can lead to Shock, which is a very serious condition.
To control any bleeding, apply firm, direct pressure to the wound with a clean dressing or cloth. If blood seeps through the dressing, do not remove it, apply a further dressing over the top of it. Elevating the injured part can also help control bleeding e.g. if you have a cut to the wrist hold it above shoulder level, rather than letting it dangle by your side. Bleeding from an artery can be helped be holding the injured part above the level of the heart, as well as applying pressure.
Superficial wounds can generally be left to heal on their own. Slightly deeper wounds where the skin gapes open a bit, can be closed together with steristrips to lessen scarring. However should an injury be deep enough that instead of seeing pink or red in its centre, one can see white or yellowish white lumps it is likely that the injury has penetrated all layers of the skin into the natural layer of fatty tissue underneath. Any injury like this, or a deeper one where muscle is exposed needs urgent medical attention and stitches.
You will also need urgent medical treatment if a tendon or nerve has been cut or damaged. If you expose a tendon, it will look like a white cord. If you think that you have damaged a tendon, either because you can see the tendon exposed, or because you cannot make certain movements you need to go to a hospital right away. Damaged nerves will respond in a similar way and your skin will feel numb and certain movements will be difficult to make.