How to Heal Burns with Honey

Many types of honey are famous for their medicinal uses, and people have used honey to heal wounds for hundreds of years. Medicinal honeys such as manuka are natural antibacterials, and also have a moisturizing effect, helping wounds heal faster. ^{[1] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source} This property makes honey an excellent natural burn remedy. If you have a minor burn, you can apply honey right away to soothe the skin. If the burn is more severe, go to the doctor first, then use honey during the healing process.

Table of Contents

Soothes minor burns

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Quickly determine the extent of the burn. You should only use honey to treat minor burns, i.e. first-degree burns. First-degree burns only affect the outermost layer of the skin, causing redness, burning, and mild swelling. The skin also does not tear or bleed. Remember that you should only treat yourself if it’s a minor first-degree burn ^{. [2] X Trusted Source MedlinePlus Go to source}

With a second-degree burn, you’ll have more pain, blistering, and deeper redness. The skin may tear or bleed.
A third-degree burn will peel off the outermost layer of skin. The burned skin may turn white or black, and the burn may be numb.
Seek emergency medical attention when you have 2nd and 3rd degree burns. These are serious injuries.

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Run cool water on a mild first degree wound. Cool the burned area as soon as possible by running it under cool running water. Cool the burn for 5 minutes and pat dry gently. ^{[3] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Always use cool water to treat burns, not cold water. Also do not apply ice to the burn. Water that is too cold can damage the skin even more. ^{[4] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Do not use a towel on the burn because it will be very painful. You should only pat the burned skin dry.
Do not immediately use honey for 2nd or 3rd degree burns. You should seek medical attention for these burns as soon as possible. ^{[5] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Pour manuka honey on the burned skin. Manuka honey, also known as medicinal honey, is particularly well known for its healing properties. This is the best burn honey. ^{[6] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source} Pour 15-30 ml of honey over entire burn and surrounding undamaged skin. ^{[7] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Many large supermarkets and health care stores sell manuka honey. If you can’t find manuka honey at the store, you can easily order it online.
There are also some other medicinal honeys like active Leptospermum honey (ALH) that you can use in place of manuka honey. ^{[8] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}
If you can’t find medicinal honey, another option that works is unfiltered raw organic honey. Do not use regular food grade honey, as it may contain additives or chemicals. ^{[9] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}
If you’re afraid of spilling honey, you can also pour honey into gauze instead of pouring it directly on the burn.

Change the bandage for the wound

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Change the dressing daily until the wound heals. Depending on the severity, the burn can take 1-4 weeks to heal. You need to change the bandage every day and reapply honey to moisturize the burned skin and fight bacteria. Once the wound has healed, you can stop treatment. ^{[11] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

If there are signs of infection at any time, see your doctor immediately.
If you do not want to continue using honey, you can stop at any time. Switch to an antibacterial cream to prevent infection.

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Wash your hands before removing the bandage. Remember that hands must be clean before changing the bandage on the burn to avoid infection. ^{[12] X Research Source}

If you ask someone else to change the bandage, make sure they wash their hands as well.
You can use this treatment for 2nd and 3rd degree burns while recovering from medical care. Do not apply honey before your doctor examines severe burns. ^{[13] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Gently remove the tape. Peel off the tape that you used to secure the gauze, then slowly peel off the gauze. Do not pull it out right away or it will be very painful. Slowly and slowly peel off the bandage. The honey will likely loosen and drift off the skin more easily, so you won’t have much trouble removing the bandage. ^{[14] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

If the gauze sticks to your skin, you can soak it in cool water for about 5 minutes to loosen it.
Do not peel off patches of flaking skin to avoid worsening dermatitis.

Medical treatment

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Seek emergency medical attention for severe burns. If you have 2nd and 3rd degree burns, seek immediate medical attention. Go to the nearest emergency room or call emergency services for help. ^{[19] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

You should also go to the emergency room if you have wrinkly burns or patches of burnt skin that are black, brown, or white.
In addition, you also need to go to the emergency room or call 911 if the burn affects the lungs or throat, burns on the face, hands, feet, groin, buttocks, or in important joints.
For second-degree burns, you should still cool the burn with cold running water for 15 minutes or until the ambulance arrives.

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Go to the emergency room right away for an electrical or chemical burn. All electrical or chemical burns should be treated by a doctor as soon as possible. These burns may require special treatments or cleaning procedures. ^{[20] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Chemical burns should be washed under cool running water for at least 5 minutes and immediately seek medical attention.
Consult your doctor before applying honey to chemical burns. Chemical burns can react differently.

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Call your doctor if you notice signs of infection. Even with the right treatment, a burn can still become infected. Make an appointment with your doctor or go to the emergency room if symptoms of an infection develop, such as: ^{[21] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to source}

Pus or discharge from the burn
Increased pain, redness, or swelling around the burn
Fever

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See your doctor if minor burns don’t heal within 2 weeks. If you have a 1st or 2nd degree burn, the burn will usually heal within 2 weeks. If the burn still hasn’t healed or hasn’t improved significantly after 2 weeks, make an appointment with your doctor to find out the cause. ^{[22] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Seek medical attention for severe scarring burns. Most minor burns will heal without significant scarring. If large scars or keloids appear after the wound has healed, let your doctor know. They can determine the cause of the scarring and offer treatment if necessary. Common treatments for burn scars include: ^{[23] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to source}

Apply silicone gel
Shield scars from the sun
Use laser therapy or steroid injections to reduce pain, reduce scar size, and fade scars
Large scar removal surgery

Advice

Keep in mind that all studies used raw, unprocessed honey for testing, so the burn healing effect of processed honey may not be as good. Processed honey can cause further irritation because of additives and other chemicals. You should only use unprocessed medicinal honey such as manuka honey. ^{[24] X Research Sources}

Warning

Do not attempt to remove burnt clothing or any other material from 2nd or 3rd degree burns. This may further damage the skin. Let a healthcare professional help you undress.
Never apply butter, margarine, or any other oily substance to a burn. They can cause more damage, even though these are common folk remedies. ^{[25] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to Source}
Do not use anything other than water to cool the burn. Ice is too cold and can damage the skin.

Steps

Soothes minor burns

Change the bandage for the wound

Medical treatment

Advice

Warning

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