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Essential oil burn

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
 
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Essential oil has many useful qualities and properties, so it is often used in cosmetology, as well as folk medicine and aromatherapy. With the correct use of such concentrated phytoessences, you can get rid of various diseases and preserve the beauty and youth of the skin. But improper use can be the cause of quite unpleasant manifestations - such as itching, burning, pain, redness on the skin. Since these oils contain about 300 volatile elements, they are included in the group of potent liquids. That is why an essential oil burn is one of the most common situations in the process of its use.

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Symptoms essential oil burn

Signs and symptoms of an essential oil burn include noticeable redness of the skin at the point of contact with the substance, and a burning sensation in that area. In severe cases of burns, blisters may appear on the skin.

Essential oil burn on face

Since essential oils have a very high concentration of useful, but at the same time quite active biological components, they should be dosed in drops, but under no circumstances in spoons (not even teaspoons, and certainly not tablespoons). Because otherwise you can get a burn on your face from essential oil. Such an incident will not only spoil your appearance, but will also require a whole range of various cosmetic procedures in the future, which are necessary for skin restoration, as well as a long treatment process. Therefore, you cannot use essential oils in pure, undiluted form - you need to add them to creams and cosmetic masks.

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Orange essential oil burn

Orange oil should not be applied in sunny weather. This is due to the fact that this substance has phototoxic properties - it accumulates sunlight that hits it. As a result, it can cause severe burns.

It should also be remembered that it is not recommended to use orange oil on sensitive skin for a long time and in large doses - it can increase the photosensitivity of the skin and may cause inflammation.

Cinnamon Essential Oil Burn

If cinnamon essential oil gets on the skin, it will cause redness and a burning sensation. With prolonged contact with the skin surface, a burn occurs. Before using, you need to check the oil for individual tolerance. Do not apply to the skin undiluted. If you are going to use the product for cosmetic procedures, find out the dosage for your skin type.

Complications and consequences

Essential oils usually do not cause third or fourth degree burns, but they can still cause significant problems – redness, itching, pain, burning, blisters. If you do not provide adequate treatment, you can introduce an infection into the wound, which will lead to much more serious complications.

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Diagnostics essential oil burn

To accurately diagnose a burn, the doctor only needs to examine the damaged area. During the diagnostic process, it is important to determine not only the area of the lesion, but also its depth.

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What do need to examine?

How to examine?

Who to contact?

Treatment essential oil burn

A small burn with essential oil can be treated at home - in this case, you need to treat the wound with an anti-burn spray or ointment. Another effective remedy is sea buckthorn or lavender oil (use only in diluted form).

What to do if you get burned by essential oil?

In case of an essential oil burn, you should immediately wash the affected part of the body under cold running water for at least 10 minutes. In addition, it is recommended to apply ice or some frozen product to the damaged area (it should be placed in a clean bag beforehand). You can remove the remains of essential oil from the damaged area with a cotton swab, which should first be moistened in a soap solution.

After cooling, the burnt skin should be carefully dried using a cloth (it should not be lint - gauze, a waffle towel, or a bandage will do). Next, you need to carefully examine the skin - if the burn has only turned red, and small blisters have formed on it, applying a bandage is not necessary. Such burns are treated at home - they need to be treated every day using special anti-burn drugs.

If large blisters have formed on the wound, inside which there is serous-hemorrhagic fluid, this burn can only be treated by a qualified specialist. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a sterile bandage to the burned area (it should not be tight), and immediately go to the doctor.

Medicines

Panthenol can be used immediately for burns. The spray is used as follows: the can should be in a vertical position. To form foam on the skin, shake it before use. The spray is applied in a few seconds - an even layer over the entire affected area of the skin. The resulting foam creates a thin film on the area of inflammation, which does not allow the liquid to leave, and also has a dermatoprotective effect. The medicine should be applied daily several times (the amount depends on the severity of the changes). The product is intended for external use only.

Olazol is applied every day (or every other day) 1-4 times. The application should be done evenly over the entire affected area. Before use, shake the can, then remove the safety cap, replace it with a working one and, pressing the valve, spray the foam onto the wound from a distance of 1-5 cm.

Side effects of the drug Olazol: with long-term use or overdose, kidney problems, toxic reactions (severe vomiting and diarrhea, skin rashes, peeling of the upper layer of skin, convulsions, headache; sometimes - shock) may occur.

Olazol should not be used by pregnant women, during lactation (when treating the mammary glands), in case of kidney dysfunction and individual sensitivity to the components of the spray. It is not recommended to apply the preparation to large areas of skin.

Traditional medicine, herbal treatment

Treatment of burns with essential oil is carried out using well-known, classical means used for various burns. Among the methods of folk treatment:

  • use of compresses made from regular tea leaves (strongly brewed);
  • raw potatoes, which need to be mashed with a grater. The resulting gruel is applied to the injury, using it as a compress. The remaining potatoes should be stored in the refrigerator so that the compress on the wound can be changed every 10 minutes. Improvement should be seen quite quickly - after 10-15 compresses;
  • use of the Kalanchoe plant. You need to finely chop the leaves and make a compress from them. It relieves inflammation well and has a cooling effect. The change should also be done every 10-15 minutes, but in this case 7-10 procedures will be enough.

Prevention

As a preventive measure, when using essential oil, it is necessary to strictly follow safety requirements. It cannot be applied to the skin undiluted; the substance must first be diluted with some base oil. It is also important not to allow the oil to come into contact with mucous membranes.

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Forecast

An essential oil burn, if first aid is provided quickly and, if necessary, timely medical attention is given, will heal without leaving any traces – the prognosis is completely favorable.

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