To say be careful with tea

[user87382294757]

I had no idea it could cause such a scald. Maybe a red rash (as have had with a minor splash in the past) but this time tea scalded my foot and caused a partial thickness burn- bandaged and very painful, needing changes at the GPs twice a week for the next week or two. Tricky to walk as so painful. Really horrible.

The nurse at the GP said the worst one she saw was a young woman who had full, got a Lemsip type drink and spilled it over herself, that required treatment at a burns unit, bad scarring. I was only protected by thick jeans and a top or it could have been much worse.

Surely it's the boiling/near-boiling water that's the issue though, not the tea?

I'm sorry you've hurt yourself so badly

It’s boiling water...

You have to be careful with hot water, who knew........

Gosh thanks for the heads up, I never knew this! Every day’s a school day.

I'm not quite sure what you would expect?

I hope you make a good recovery. Sounds very painful.

It's not the actual drink that causes the burn but the hot water, is it not?

🍿 This will get interesting.

Op have they told you to keep the burn open to air when you can? It seems to help healing.
Boiling water can be a bitch especially if you don't take the clothes/shoes off immediately

Is there something in the properties of tea that you think makes the burn qualitatively different to a burn from any other boiling liquid?

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Were you the person who put initiated putting 'caution contents may be hot' on takeaway coffee cups?

My mother burnt her hand to buggery yesterday after reheating a cup in the microwave (although blasphemy to do that so karma on her part!)

I once had a severe burn from a cup of freshly made tea. Wasn't fun.

Entirely my own fault as well.

Hi- Yes i suppose probably quite obvious really, I just had not experienced quite how severe a scald could be just from a cuppa - they have put a kind of jelonet bandage thing on it so far but am also using something called a hydrocolloid dressing on it. This was given by the pharmacy and more expensive- the GPs don;t seem to have it. Have been leaving it open to the air a little during cleaning but find it a bit grim- looks like something has bitten me! So not too much.

No difference to tea, but I guess, I thought it is something (and coffee) we are so used to having on a daily basis I guess.

I think it's always a good reminder OP, despite the eye rolling responses you have had from some. It's staggering how many times you see people with a fresh cup of tea or coffee on one hand and a bay in the other or in their lap. I was in a local coffee shop a couple of weeks ago and a woman had a 8-10 month old wiggler on her lap, poured her tea from a pot no milk and started to drink it, she then yelped and told off the baby when he tried to grab it. Who would've thought.... I might be a bit more aware of this because an old housemate of mine had burn scars on his arm and chest where a relative had dropped tea on him as a toddler.

• baby

I worked in theatres in a hospital with a burns unit recently. I'd estimate they averaged at least one child a week needing surgery (debridement/skin grafting) due to burns from hot drinks. It's one of the most common accidental injuries leading to hospital admission in children.

Hot/boiling water burns who knew, if you don't know that you shouldnt be allowed access to such water.

Hydrocolloid dressings are great. They encourage really good healing.
We have known for some years that keeping severe wounds moist with these dressings encourages better healing. Keeping open to the air is not the way to go any more.

One of my DC was burned at age 2 by hot tea in a coffee shop, back, legs, bum. Awful, thankfully only superficial burns but nonetheless painful and frightening. Doctors said it is very common and herbal tea and black coffee worst, milk cools drinks down a bit.

Can we use this thread to remind people not to put any rubbish on a fresh burn - no cream, no oil, no butter, no nothing, really

and just leave the burnt area under TEPID running water for 10 minutes to start?

What I hate to see is breastfeeding mother's drinking tea while nursing. I can just picture the contents spilling on the baby's head/face.

My sister tipped a coffee over herself when she was 3. She was in hospital for weeks and has the scars now over 30 years later.

Sarcastic comments aside OP, I genuinely hope the pain starts to ease for you.

and just leave the burnt area under TEPID running water for 10 minutes to start?

I didn't know this I always use freezing cold water

Did it have sugar in it? That makes the burn worse.