Use Eggs To Treat Burns-Fiction!

Use Eggs To Treat Burns-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor:
This is a story of a man whose face was badly burned in an accident. He was helped by a woman who used egg whites to treat his burns. This remedy produced positive results with no scarring because they contain collagen, a substance used for treating burns.

The Truth:
The Mayo Clinic web page on first aid for burns lists the steps to properly identify and treat burns but warns against the application of ointments because of the high risk of infection.

According to the Mayo Clinic burns are identified by three levels or degrees, rated by severity minor to major: first, second and third. Treatment for burns varies depending on their severity. The more severe the burn the greater the need to call for professional response.

According to the BurnSurgery.org website severe burns are dressed by surgeons with oxidized regenerated cellulose and animal collagen. Eggs whites do contain collagen but it is not known if avian collagen is the same as animal collagen. There is also the question of how sterile they are in the treatment for burns.

It should be noted that materials used for the treatment of burns should be sterile owing to the high risk of infection and depending on the local Good Samaritan laws, legal complications could develop if first aid treatment is done by someone who is not properly trained.   In the U.S. this law protects strangers who respond to helping their fellow human beings but there is also a negligence clause that protects the patient and their families in the case of a death or complication when improper treatment is used.

Updated 7/23/11

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

A young man sprinkling his lawn and bushes with pesticides wanted to check the contents of the barrel to see how much pesticide remained in it. He raised the cover and lit his lighter; the vapors inflamed and engulfed him. He jumped from his truck, screaming. His neighbor came out of her house with a dozen eggs, yelling: "bring me some eggs!" She broke them, separating the whites from the yolks. The neighbor woman helped her to apply the whites on the young man's face. When the ambulance arrived and when the EMTs saw the young man, they asked who had done this. Everyone pointed to the lady in charge. They congratulated her and said: "You have saved his face." By the end of the summer, the young man brought the lady a bouquet of roses to thank her. His face was like a baby's skin.

Healing Miracle for burns:

Keep in mind this treatment of burns which is included in teaching beginner fireman this method. First aid consists to spraying cold water on the affected area until the heat is reduced and stops burning the layers of skin. Then, spread egg whites on the affected are.

One woman burned a large part of her hand with boiling water. In spite of the pain, she ran cold faucet water on her hand, separated 2 egg white from the yolks, beat them slightly and dipped her hand in the solution. The whites then dried and formed a protective layer.

She later learned that the egg white is a natural collagen and continued during at least one hour to apply layer upon layer of beaten egg white. By afternoon she no longer felt any pain and the next day there was hardly a trace of the burn. 10 days later, no trace was left at all and her skin had regained its normal color. The burned area was totally regenerated thanks to the collagen in the egg whites, a placenta full of vitamins.