CHILD SAFETY –Reducing the numbers of children who sustain
burns from Hair Straighteners
A number of children attend the Accident and Emergency Department in Bolton
every month with injuries from hair straighteners. It is usually children starting to
crawl, toddlers and young children who are affected.The sites of burns include hands
and feet (where children grab hair straighteners or stand on them) or burns to the
head or face where children pull the straighteners from above.
Young children have thinner and more delicate skin so are more at risk of serious
burns.
Young children also may not have developed the ability to pull away from heat
quickly depending on their age and stage of development.
HOW HOT CAN HAIR STRAIGHTENERS GET? – AS HOT AS AN IRON.TWICE
AS HOT AS BOILING WATER
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR HAIR STRAIGHTENERS TO HEAT UP? –SOME
HEAT UP IN 15 SECONDS
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR HAIR STRAIGHTENERS TO COOL DOWN?
SOME ARE HOT ENOUGH TO BURN EVEN AFTER 15 MINUTES
KEY MESSAGES
These simple but practical steps can prevent



Keep hair straighteners out of reach
Turn them off as soon as they have been used
Put them in a heat proof pouch
COMMON ACCIDENTS
If hair straighteners are left lying around, crawling babies, toddlers and small children
can:

Grab at them and burn their hands or wrists

Step or sit on them and burn their legs or feet

Pull them down on top of themselves and burn their face

Copy adults and try to use them
FIRST AID
Immediate first aid can prevent long-term scarring and stop the burn from getting
worse.

Stop the burning process as soon as possible. This may mean removing
the person from the area, dousing flames with water or smothering flames
with a blanket. Do not put yourself at risk of getting burnt as well.

Remove any clothing or jewellery near the burnt area of skin. However,
don't try to remove anything that is stuck to the burnt skin because this could
cause more damage.

Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm water for 10 to 30 minutes, ideally
within 20 minutes of the injury occurring. Never use ice, iced water or any
creams or greasy substances such as butter.

Cover the burn with cling film. Put the cling film in a layer over the burn,
rather than wrapping it around a limb. A clean clear plastic bag can be used
for burns on your hand.

Treat the pain from a burn with paracetamol or ibuprofen. Always check
the manufacturer's instructions when using over-the-counter (OTC)
medication. Children under 16 years of age should not be given aspirin.
Once you have taken these steps, you will need to decide whether further medical
treatment is necessary.
Go to a hospital accident and emergency department for:

Large or deep burns – any burn bigger than the affected person's hand

Full thickness burns of all sizes – these burns cause white or charred skin

Partial thickness burns on the face, hands, arms, feet, legs or genitals – these
are burns that cause blisters
You can access information about the hair straighteners campaign and watch
a film where eggs and bacon are fried on hair straighteners at:
www.capt.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns