Accident because of… a bottle of essential oil!

The habit of reaching for the oil bottle to apply to everything can cause you to have an accident.

Recently, a doctor’s personal Facebook page posted a picture of a 14-month-old baby with a red burn on his stomach and many blisters because his mother applied eucalyptus oil to treat bloating. The post was shared and commented on by many people, because eucalyptus oil is something that almost every Vietnamese family has. But few people thought it could have such consequences.

All kinds of accidents

Talking about the case, Dr. Tran Vinh Khanh, Deputy Director of the 115 Emergency Center in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the baby suffered from first-degree burns when the mother brought him to the clinic for examination. Fortunately, after 2 days of treatment, the blisters healed quite well, and the red skin area also disappeared. Dr. Khanh said that the main cause was that the amount of oil applied to the baby was too much, while children's skin is very fragile. Instead of taking the oil on her hands and then applying it to the baby, the mother accidentally used the oil bottle to dab directly on the baby's belly many times before rubbing it evenly.

The most appropriate way to apply oil is to take the oil on your finger and then apply it to the area that needs to be applied. Photo: Hoang Trieu

Dr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the City Children's Hospital (HCMC), said he had seen some children with similar skin burns and redness due to applying too much oil. In some cases, children were playing and sprained their ankles and needed cold compresses but were instead applied hot oil. Applying oil seemed to calm things down; not fixing it made the sprain difficult to heal...

Above all, oil is not a cure-all. In cases where a child has a severe stomachache, falls, or has a severe insect bite, the child needs to be taken to the doctor for appropriate medication. If left at home and only applied oil, it will be dangerous.

According to physician Dinh Cong Bay, General Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Medicinal Herbs Association, many adults have also encountered unfortunate minor accidents due to essential oils. Some people have a stuffy nose, so instead of applying it under the nose, they use a cotton swab to soak up the oil and apply it inside the nose. In mild cases, it is unbearably hot and burning, in severe cases, it burns the mucous membranes inside.

Use in the right place, at the right time to be effective

Physician Dinh Cong Bay analyzed that essential oils are a type of medicine made from natural ingredients such as eucalyptus, mint, cinnamon, star anise, cajeput... depending on the type. The main uses of essential oils are to warm the body, relieve pain, reduce headaches, runny nose, treat insect bites... Most essential oils are only suitable for children 2 years old and up and if used, they should not be applied over a large area, children under 2 years old can only use cajeput oil.

When using oil, just use a sufficient amount. For example, if a child has a stomachache, just apply a little on the navel (Shenque point) and along the line of the abdomen from below the sternum to below the navel. Adults can rub in circles on the abdomen, around the navel, but should not rub too much. If the stomach hurts too much, you should see a doctor and take medicine, do not think that rubbing more oil will help. If you have a headache, apply on both sides of the temple. If you have a runny nose or stuffy nose, apply a little under the nose, enough to inhale the light oil vapor...

Some people apply the oil to bleeding wounds because they think the oil can disinfect them, but this is not true. Eucalyptus oil should never be applied to open wounds or mucous membranes. Only insect bites can use eucalyptus oil.

Dr. Tran Vinh Khanh noted that the most reasonable way to apply oil to avoid burns and allergies is to take the oil on your finger. Then use your finger to apply it to the area that needs treatment, especially when applying it to children. Applying oil directly to the area that needs to be applied is not recommended, as it can cause a reaction to the skin of children or people with sensitive skin.

In addition, essential oils are also a product that can cause allergies for some people. If it is the first time using essential oils or when using a new type of oil, use a very small amount to test the skin reaction first.

According to Laborer