PUBLISHED ONInvalid Date Invalid Date
SINGAPORE - To relieve his colleague's suffering, he cracked an egg and smeared it over the burnt skin.
But medical professionals The New Paper interviewed said the stall assistant at Ayesha's Kitchen should not have done so, even if his colleague was suffering from a serious burn to his back.
Dr Clarence Yeo, a general practitioner at Killiney Family and Wellness Clinic, said: "It's unusual, but there's no medical evidence to prove that eggs, toothpaste or vinegar do help burns.
"What is more important is to keep the victim away from the heat source, and to cool the affected area down as much as possible.
"The best method is to use cold water to try and reduce the temperature of the person's skin.
"Using an egg may help cool the burnt skin, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Special dressing
If the burn is serious, seek medical help immediately and leave the burnt area untouched, said Dr Yeo.
"Even medics have special dressings for burns because the area would have lost skin tissue and become prone to infection."
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician Tan Say Leong, who has been practising since 1988, also said the use of an egg could have led to infection.
"You don't know how much bacteria could be on the egg or any other household item that you may think of using," he said in Mandarin.
"It could be dangerous as it could lead to the wound becoming infected."
Physician Tan also said TCM doesn't teach its practitioners to use household items like toothpaste or vinegar.
"I would personally recommend using burn cream or just cold water.
"Don't try anything else that may do more harm than good."
Get The New Paper for more stories.