What your skin actually needs after a burn
We all know the drill when we burn ourselves: cool it down.
Cooling is important. But what most people don’t realise is that once the burning sensation stops, the burn itself hasn’t finished healing.
Your skin can remain damaged and vulnerable for days afterwards, which means good burn care needs to do more than simply cool and soothe.
What actually happens when skin burns? - A little education
Think of your skin as your body’s protective shield.
Heat damages the cells that make up that shield. A mild burn may cause redness and tenderness, while deeper burns can cause blistering or an open wound.
Once that protective barrier is damaged, microbes have an easier opportunity to enter and multiply, increasing the risk of infection.
The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Burns Unit identifies infection as a contributor to delayed healing, deeper wound progression, complications and scar formation.
So burn care really has two jobs:
First, deal with the heat. Then, care for the damaged skin while it heals.
Where many burn products stop
Most of the familiar burn products you see on shelves in the first aid aisle are designed around that first stage.
They cool. They soothe. They help with the immediate discomfort.
All of that is useful. But after the first day or two, the skin is still damaged and its needs begin to change. Burn care doesn’t stop when the burning does
The wound needs to stay clean, microbial burden needs to be controlled, and whatever is applied should be gentle on the healthy cells working to repair the skin.
So where does Ultrapure® fit?
Ultrapure® is our proprietary antimicrobial technology, based on highly purified HOCl.
It isn’t just the ingredient name. There are many HOCl products on the market, but not all HOCl formulations are the same. Purity, stability and biocompatibility all matter when a solution is being applied to damaged tissue.
Ultrapure® HOCl is produced to 99.99% purity.
In Noxmaria® Wound & Burn Care, this means the same product can provide cooling and soothing care initially, while continuing to provide antimicrobial wound care during the healing period that follows.
So instead of thinking only: “How do I cool this burn?” we can start thinking: “How do I care for this skin until it has recovered?”
With Noxmaria® you have a more comprehensive burn treatment regime, that’s more comfortable due to biocompatibility, reduces scarring and does not harm your healthy cells.
Stronger doesn’t always mean better
Many of us grew up thinking: “If it stings, it must be working.”
But that burning sensation isn’t what makes an antiseptic effective.
Traditional antiseptics can be very effective against microbes, but some can also be cytotoxic, meaning they can damage healthy cells involved in healing. This is one of the challenges highlighted by the Red Cross Burns Unit in its discussion of traditional burn antiseptics.
Ultrapure® works differently. HOCl is described in the Red Cross report as non-cytotoxic while remaining highly active against microbes. In simple terms, harmful microbes can be controlled without unnecessarily damaging the healthy tissue trying to heal.
What happened in a children’s burns unit?
The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Burns Unit documented its experience using Noxmaria® Ultrapure® in burn wound care.
Their previous method involved sodium hypochlorite-soaked swabs being left on wounds for around 20 minutes.
With Noxmaria®, wounds could instead be gently sprayed for approximately 60 seconds and dabbed dry.
Patients who had experienced both methods reported that the Noxmaria® spray was less painful.
The unit also used Ultrapure® as part of the ongoing care of serious paediatric burn cases, including extensive burns complicated by difficult fungal infections.
Case Study: Scald Burn
A female patient sustained a scalding burn from boiling water and presented at a clinic for treatment.
The wound was cleansed with Ultrapure® HOCl, then dressed with the solution kept in contact with the wound for 15 minutes.
She was provided with Noxmaria® Wound & Burn Care and instructed to repeat the process three times daily.
The patient returned to the clinic every four days to monitor her progress. After 13 days, the case notes reported no visible scarring on her arm.
