Why may the body warmer heating patches scale people?

Winter is coming, are you afraid of shivering in the cold wind? Don’t be afraid. A “body warmer” perfectly solves the problem of heat preservation! But is this cold-proof artifact really safe? You may be scalded if you are not careful!

Case review

On January 22, 2019, two days before it snowed, Ms. Yin warmed her bed with a body warmer and fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, she felt a little pain in her calf. She was shocked at the sight: a blister appeared on the skin close to the body warmer!

Ms. Yin feels very strange: her body warmer is not hot to touch, how can it burn blisters? She thought it would not be too serious. She pricked the blister and left it alone. A few days later, the scalded area began to scab, and she thought it was all right. Unexpectedly, more than ten days later, the wound was swollen and festered, and the whole skin was rotted.

Working principle of body warmer

The body warmer can generate heat, mainly based on the principle of “oxidation exothermic” of iron, that is, it can generate an exothermic reaction under the action of oxygen in the air. Body warmer manufacturers use microporous oxygen permeability technology to make products that have the functions of balanced heat dissipation and lasting heat generation.

Why may the body warmer heating patches scale people?

Because there is a kind of scald called “low-temperature scald”, which lasts for 6 hours at 44 ℃. The temperature of the body warmer is generally 50-60 ℃, and the heating time varies according to the product brand, generally 10-12 hours.

How to avoid scale with the body warmer?

  1. When purchasing, pay attention to whether the outer package is complete with relevant information such as production date, name, and address of the manufacturer, contact information, executive standard, and expiration date;
  2. Take out the stock of previous years, and check whether it is within the validity period;
  3. When heating, avoid the body warmer directly contacting the skin, and avoid the body warmer contacting the same part for a long time;
  4. Before going to bed, be sure to remove the body warmer;
  5. Do not use the body warmer in front of the heater or on the electric blanket.

In case of scalding by a body warmer, what are the emergency treatment methods and techniques to help you minimize the damage?

Remove clothing

Carefully remove the clothing on the scalded part, and do not force it off. If there is cloth fiber stuck on the damaged skin, it should be taken to the hospital for treatment.

Note: If there are small blisters in the wound, do not prick it by yourself to avoid infection.

Cool the scalded area

After scalding, wash and soak with cold water or compress the scalded area with a towel wrapped with ice cubes. It can quickly cool the wound, prevent heat from continuing to damage the skin, and relieve pain.

Note: For large area scalded patients, pay attention to the immersion time and water temperature to avoid excessive temperature drop.

Protect wound surface

Cover the wound with clean or sterile gauze to help keep the wound clean and relieve pain.

Note: Do not smear herbs, toothpaste, salad oil, and other articles on the wound to avoid infection.

Get medical attention in time

If the scalded area is large or very serious, seek medical advice in time, and do not use drugs without authorization.

Note: Do not use iodophor, red potion, and other colored agents to treat the wound, so as not to affect the doctor’s judgment.