Burn Injury First Aid and Recovery for Lagos Households

Burns Are Common — and Often Mismanaged

In Nigerian homes, kitchens are the scene of a significant proportion of preventable injuries. Cooking fires, kerosene stoves, generator exhausts, and scalding liquids cause burns across all age groups. The tragedy is that the most common home remedies — toothpaste, egg white, butter, and ice — all cause additional harm. Correct first aid saves tissue, reduces pain, and prevents infection.

Correct First Aid for Burns

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1. Cool the burn with running cool (not cold or iced) water for a full 20 minutes — this is the single most important step and is dramatically underused in Nigeria
2. Remove clothing or jewellery near the burn (unless stuck to skin)
3. Cover loosely with a clean, non-fluffy material (cling film is ideal; avoid cotton wool)
4. Do NOT apply toothpaste, butter, oil, ice, or any home remedy — these increase infection risk and trap heat
5. Seek medical care for any burn larger than a 50 kobo coin, involving the face/hands/genitals/feet, or on a child

When Burns Require Immediate Emergency Care

• Burns covering a large body surface area
• Chemical or electrical burns
• Burns that are white, brown, or black (full thickness)
• Breathing difficulty (suggest inhalation injury)
• Burns in children under 5 or adults over 60

Recovery Nutrition After Burns

Healing from burns requires dramatically increased nutritional support: protein (at least 1.5–2g/kg body weight), vitamin C (accelerates collagen synthesis), zinc (wound healing), and adequate calories. FXMed provides post-burn nutritional guidance and monitoring for patients recovering at home.

FXMed's Mobile Wound Care Service

Our mobile healthcare team can assess and dress burns at your home in Lagos — particularly valuable for burn victims who find travel painful. Contact us to arrange a visit.