#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Living In Thailand Forum >  >  > Health, Fitness and Hospitals in Thailand >  >  Motorcycle burns, self treatment

## Spin

A while ago, the 12th February 2010 to be exact I did this:



Seeing how many of us come use motocycles of all sizes I wanted to share with everybody how I treated this burn successfully at home with no visits to hospitals.

You need to be up to date with tetanus, mine was done 5 years ago, so well within the ten year limit of effectiveness for each jab.

First thing I did was cool this thing down using chilled bottled drinking water and not thai tap water. A good twenty minute session of dribbling water of the area was painful but beneficial.

Then you need to round up some supplies, many of these you'll have easy to hand in the already house perhaps but a couple you'll need to source from the pharmacy.



Right at the top of your shopping list should should be some silver-sulphadiazine cream, its marketed under many different names, such as Silvadene, the one I chose was Flamazine because I recognised the western manufacter, Smith & Nephew. Apparently it turns out Flamazine is available everywhere in Thailand under that name and was 200 baht for a 50G tube.

Next on the Shopping list and very important is an item missing from the above photo called Bactigras (also by Smith & Nephew) this is an extremely non stick kind of dressing that comes in various sizes....believe me this stuff is great, it will absolutly not stick to this kind of injury and make the whole event of cleaning and re-dressing painless in a situation where you could find yourslef howling with pain when the dressing is removed  :Smile: 

Full shopping list in order of importance:

1. Flamazine cream
2. Bactigras non stick dressing 
3 Iodine topical antiseptic, shown in photo in orange bottle, also known as Betadine.
4. Basic gauze dressing
5. Wide bandage
6. Saline water for cleaning everyday
7. Pain killers, ibuprofen or something stronger depending on how bad/big the burn is.

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## kingwilly

or go to a hospital clinic ffs.

self treatment ? gawds are you on a tight budget ?

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## Live Life long

had many of the same.fresh aloe is the go.

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## Spin

For the first couple of days I would make sure that the burn got a coating of the iodine antiseptic around the outside followed by a nice coating of the flamazine cream on the affected area. Its best to apply this stuff nice and thick , about 3-5mm.

The cream does not sting and its purpose is to make sure any bacteria get killed and to soften the dead layers of skin so that they can be gotten rid of each time you wash off the cream each day.

For two days I was not covering with any bandage or dressing, just lying with the leg elevated and having my lovely girlfriend wait on me hand and foot  :Smile: 

Each day I used a jet of the saline water to wash away the flamazine cream which also saw dead charred skin washed away to reveal a nice pink "living" skin area.

By day three I was introducing dressings over the newly applied cream, the bactigras ones, these are best described as a layer of gauze which is sandwiched between 2 squares of thick greaseproof paper which is coated with some kind of sterile non stick agent. A layer of normal cotton gauze over the top of that, all wrapped up in a nice gay coloured bandage and I was mobile again, able to hobble around whilst cursing myself for doing this in the first place  :Smile: 

So just keep repeating the cleaning and re-dressing process each day and after a few days there will be some nice scabs that will itch like hell and you can sit and pick at them like me or just try and wait for the scabs to come off with the everyday loosening by the flamazine cream.

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## Berry Pink

ooooo gross. through up in me mouth.  :Sad:

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## Spin

> fresh aloe is the go.


Agreed, the gf did put some of that on right after it happened, she has some growing in the garden.

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## Spin

Anyway, mother nature works her magic real fast if you have the right treatment, which in this day and age is easily done yourself as effectively as any "local clinic " might do just by looking at the internet.

This is 10 days on and nearly right as rain. There might be some residual scar but experience tells me that will fade over the next couple of years (yes, I'm no newcomer to motorcycle burns)

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## Spin

> ooooo gross. through up in me mouth.


The first photo isn't pretty is it?, however I'm just off out now for my first 5k run around the local lake since I did this. No pain or anything now.

A job well done, if I say so myself!

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## jandajoy

A few years back I was making popadums to go with the curry for my birthday dinner.

Distracted by a mate who'd dropped a glass I cleverly poured a fry pan of boiling oil all over me right knee.

The pan fell to the floor and burnt through the lino ( Aussie Gov. housing)

after screaming I got into the shower and spent 20 minutes or so running cold water on it.

Returned to finish dinner then felt strangely tired.

I made my excuses and went to bed.

Obviously in shock.

Partner and mates were a tad worried and got the community nurse to come round.

I awoke to find him slathering some yellow ointment on the knee/leg.

He then covered it with, what he called, "NT skin". A light gauze that seals but breathes, apparently.

I went back to sleep.

Anyway, to cut it short, the cream was pawpaw cream. Foking brilliant stuff.

The knee/leg was a real mess.

Two days later I had to fly to the UK (Dad in ICU)

All fine 'cept for the Qantas bastards making a fuss about wearing long pants with puss oozing out every where. ( Staff travel has dress codes)

A week later I'm in Devon, UK. visiting Dad twice a day at Torbay Hospital.

My Mum reckons it'd be a good idea, whilst there, to get the old leg looked at.

It's healing beautifully. I apply the papaw cream every couple of days, no worries.

I rock up to the emergency folk and say " G'day"

" Any chance of some one checking out m' knee"

All good. Into a cubicle, nice nurse turns up. I give her a sitrep. and she smiles.

"Ah, ok, lets have a little look then"

She whips off the gauze (NT skin) stuff and grimaces.

" Bad burn" 

"Well, yes" say I " but getting better by the minute."

"Err, what's this yellow cream stuff?"

" Pawpaw"

"You what?"

"Pawpaw"

" What, like the fruit?"

"Yup"

"Where'd you get that from?"

At this point I couldn't resist. The girl was really perplexed. It was a pretty bad burn and she just couldn't come to terms with fruit juice fixing it.

I replied

"From a pawpaw tree of course"

She blanked.

"Please wait here"

Off she trots.

Comes back 5 minutes later with the hospital burns specialist.

He asks the same questions.

Shakes his head in disbelief.

Turns out he's off to Aus. and NZ on a years sabbatical to study weird cures for stuff .

Now the knee/leg is coming on a treat and all I wanted was an opinion, confirmation that everything was OK.

The nurse and the Doc. confer and advise me that what they'd really like to do is clean the whole area, treat it with God knows what and then strap it up. I should return in a week.

"O.K" say I, "Do what you will". Big mistake.

They do the business. All kinds of creams and powders. Bloody big bandage and off I go.

4 days later, I return to casualty with a foot swollen up like a balloon, a knee the size of a footy ball. 

Infection.

Then spend 20 days taking antibiotics and Christ knows what else.

End of story.

If you can get hold of the pawpaw cream in the little red tubes it's good for everything. Honest.

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## Bung

+1 for fresh aloe. Really helps with the scarring as well.

 I find it great for getting rid of gravel rash as well, just tapes a sliced section onto the wound, leave it for an hour or two and it's as clean as a whistle.

My mrs managed to pour boiling water all over my leg and my MIL imediately ran and chewed up some raw rice, took a big swig of fish sauce and spit/sprayed it all over my leg. Not sure if that worked as I went straight into the aloe but I don't have any scarring at all.

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## nedwalk

> pawpaw cream in the little red tubes it's good for everything


every medicen chest should have some

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## S Landreth

Good luck with it,.I also think Aloe is the best way to go.

But there might be good news with the scars it will leave,.I can tell you after 35 years(?) my scar (from a 360 Yamaha, dirt bike) is gone. But no hair grows on it. :Smile:

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## crippen

My G/F always puts toothpaste on burns! Seems to work though,no infections. :ourrules:

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## graym

> My G/F always puts toothpaste on burns! Seems to work though,no infections.


Probably works because toothpaste contains an antiseptic to inhibit plaque. Also good to remove scratches from CD's and DVD's; at school we used toothpaste to stick pictures to the walls...

Another good natural antiseptic is tea tree oil.

Aloe Vera seems great for promoting healing of burns although the scientific jury seem to still be out on it's medicinal properties. It's certainly a great after sun treatment.

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## aging one

Plus aloe grows just about everywhere here.  I have 3 or 4 aloe plants growing in an around my yard.

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## blackgang

wonder if you could make Tequila with it,, maybe a decent Pulgue, ya know, dirty sock or garlic flavored.

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## Spin

> self treatment ?


Yeah, I should have added that this course of action is for grown-ups only, so if anything like this happens to you, get one to take care of it for you.

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## kingwilly

I can afford proper hospital care Spin. Actually for that matter I can also afford proper clothes to wear on a bike too.

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## Spin

> Actually for that matter I can also afford proper clothes to wear on a bike too.


Woo wee!  Little Willy wants to turn my thread into a pissing contest about who has the most money  :Smile: 

Back to proper clothes, Alpinestars, Fox, Oakley and Bell are my choice right now, are they proper enough for you?.....



Shame I wasn't wearing them when I did this burn  ::doglol:: 




> I can afford proper hospital care Spin.


Yes jolly good, I've run out of Blue Peter badges, I think hat had the last one.

I also can afford "proper" hospital care, however in this case I took mostly advice over the internet from professionals or retired professionals. A poster over at the other mob by the name of Sheryl was one of my sources.


I bought the most expensive, imported items and medication I could find, choosing brands like Smith & Nephew over much cheaper Thailand produced alternatives. 

In fact I probably spent more money on doing it myself than I would have by going to the local clinic.

To all those that mentioned Aloe vera, dont forget to store that stuff in the fridge, feels lovely when applied and is best when the leaf is cut lengthways and opened up and applied to the would and left in place held with a bandage.

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## mr Fred

> or go to a hospital clinic ffs.
> 
> self treatment ? gawds are you on a tight budget ?


Hospital is for girls and wimps.
I got knocked of my bike by some dipshit. Did a bit of damage to my leg and foot.





The knee was fine in about six weeks but the foot took about ten weeks before it stopped bleeding. Not too much of a shock considering the skin was rubbed off almost to the bones.

My ruddy jacket was ruined and I got a scratch on my mobile phone.

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## Spin

> Hospital is for girls and wimps.


I was going to say this but I didn't want to offend the girls and wimps who might be reading :Smile: 

The photo showing the damage above your knee looks exactly how mine did on about the third day....not serious at all.

* It must be added that burns from exhaust pipes and those burns gotten from road rash are not the same, road rash should more likely be treated at hospital due to the fact when sliding down the road you pick up plenty of bacteria on the skin.

Burns from hot exhaust pipe are more likely to be a damn sight cleaner as the direct *heat from the pipe kills all bacteria right there and then*, the battle is keeping new bacteria out.

Sorry to hear about the scratch on your phone, time wont heal that unfortunately   :Smile:

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## graym

If you're skint, scared of hospitals or just plain enjoy poking around inside your own ruptured body parts then here's a couple of links on road rash treatment.

Road Rash Cure - Maumee Valley Wheelmen News
How to Treat Skin Abrasions - Road Rash Treatment - Treatments for Road Rash

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## Muadib

^ Yeah, but manly men don't need any stinkin' doctors... Just douse the wound with whiskey, wrap it with tissue and duct tape, then go about your business... Makes for some nice scars later in life...  :Smile:

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## Bung

I did try not going to a hospital after I stubbed my toe on the end of a broken branch. Pulled a couple of splinters out but it was a bit messed up. I dressed it and went to bed that night, had no sleep as it was throbbing bad so the mrs finally convinced me to see the doctor. He had a poke around and asked if I wanted a local anistectic and said yes thinking that if he's asking I probably need it. Glad I did as he pulled another thick splinter out a good inch long as well as some other smaller ones! That would have got nasty.

I also broke my cheekbone once and didn't go to hospital for a week. It had gotten pushed in and swelled back out to the original shape so I thought I just had a sore face but couldn't eat so had the x ray....They had to rebreak it and pin it with titanium plates that night.

I don't like hospitals but sometimes they are handy.

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## fridgemagnet

Shit happens - easy to fix tho - clean thoroughly with sterile water, then, if not bleeding too much (by the time you get home it will probably have stopped) sprinkle on some NEBACETIN powder, easily available in most Thai pharmacies. Cheap too.
Leave to dry - let the air get to it. After showers - re-apply Nebacetin. That's it.
I do more or less the same with burns,but I'm sure the original post's method is better - I'd still use Nebacetin - it's brilliant.
The Papaya paste sounds worth trying - I will use it the next time wearing shorts results in a burn. I always forget that the protection afforded by wearing jeans is no longer there.

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## thrilled

I always see people riding in shorts.Thats not the way to go.

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## THEKINGDOWNTHER

IMMEDIATE cold...sure (a bag of frozen peas are great)
Then fresh aloe (topical) + 1 gram of Vit C (oral) every 2-3 hours for 1st week. Don't stop with either one just because it 'seems' better. If REAL severe, I would drink aloe too, 4 oz 3X/day.

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## Propagator

> I would drink aloe too, 4 oz 3X/day.


I dont think that is a good idea.   From Wiki

Aloe vera juice is used for consumption and relief of digestive issues such as heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome.

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## Thaiguy

*Wish I'd known about this a couple of centuries back - was trying to propogate the species on my Matcho with the centre stand in sand ? bad burn inside of my right leg , bad burn inside of her left leg and bloody lot of useless mates with cameras. Bad night all round and lost a girl friend !*

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## keekwai

> toothpaste on burns


The Thai equivalent of the Western Old Wives remedy of butter on burns .. both useless. Plain old cold running water for burns is the trick.

Had a mate a few years ago badly sunburnt all over his body. Thai BG smears toothpaste all over him (a bit kinky?). An hour later .. when the paste started to dry and crack .. he was in agony ..  :Smile:

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## FailSafe

I have to add another vote for fresh aloe plants- they healed my nasty burns to the point where I can't even find the scars.

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## keekwai

> I got a scratch on my mobile phone.


Crickey !! .. kill yourself now!

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## jandajoy

> The Papaya paste sounds worth trying


It's excellent. I also ended up with hardly any scarring.

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## fridgemagnet

I would like to add - after another horizontal excursion under the motorbike (in Indonesia - do not get injured there, even antibiotics are fake, not just generic).
Cleaning thoroughly is vital, as is removing all flappy skin. I did'nt remove the loose skin (it hurt too much) and infection hid under it, causing trouble. Better pain at the beginning than infection.

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## rickschoppers

Everyone seems to have the right idea. Cleaning and derbiding (cleaning off loose skin) are standard treatments for burns. Infection is the main worry, so sulfasalazine cream or sulfa based burn cream will also retard any infection. The aloe will promote healing, but not sure about the papaya. Keep the area clean and if you need to bandage, change the bandages at least 2-3 times daily. Again, infection is the killer. If you do get a skin infection a cephalosporin antibiotic taken orally can be used, but if it gets to that stage, you might want to seek medical help. 
This is only for those macho guys not running to the doctor for every little sniffle or scratch. For all the rest of you, spend your money and see a quack and hopefully they will know something about medicine.

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## rickschoppers

Sorry, can't spell....*Debride:* To remove dead, contaminated or adherent tissue or foreign material. The purpose of wound debridement is to remove all materials that may promote infection and impede healing.

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## Marmite the Dog

> Everyone seems to have the right idea. Cleaning and derbiding (cleaning off loose skin) are standard treatments for burns.


Not sure about that. I prefer to not fall off.

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## rickschoppers

> Originally Posted by rickschoppers
> 
> Everyone seems to have the right idea. Cleaning and derbiding (cleaning off loose skin) are standard treatments for burns.
> 
> 
> Not sure about that. I prefer to not fall off.


Just don't ride in shorts. Even blue denim will protect you more from road rash or burns. They also make some good motorcycle denims that are similar to wearing leathers.

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## Spin

I should post an update photo of what's left of that burn but there isn't much to see, so i won't bother.

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