How to treat turf burn at home

Artificial turf has become more advanced in recent years, and it is increasingly popular as a surface on which to play a variety of sports. However, it does come with the risk of turf burn.

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How do you heal turf burn fast?
Should I put hydrogen peroxide on a turf burn?
Should you let turf burn dry out?
Should you bandage a turf burn?

In some ways, turf may be safer than grass. For example, it provides more cushioning than grass during winter.

However, turf burn is a significant downside of playing on this surface. A fall onto the turf is likely to result in injury.

Sports that people commonly play on turf include football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.

Turf burn is an injury that results from friction rather than heat. When people fall hard on the turf, the friction of the turf against their exposed skin causes red abrasions.

Friction can lead to the loss of skin layers, potentially allowing an open wound to develop. Turf burn is very painful, and touching the burn is likely to sting.

Turf burn is more likely to occur on the thighs, knees, palms of the hands, and the arms. It can be large or small, depending on the fall.

The immediate treatment of turf burn is essential for helping it heal. A medic or teammate can treat the turf burn on-site using a basic first aid kit.

Treating turf burn quickly may also reduce the risk of infection. People who play sports often have a higher risk of skin infections as they experience skin abrasions more frequently. The increased physical contact they have with other people and shared equipment can also make transmission more likely.

Skin wounds are prone to bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (staph). Everyone carries staph bacteria on their skin.

If the skin breaks, the bacteria can enter the body and cause an infection. People should avoid touching the burn with their bare hands.

People can treat a turf burn by following these steps:

Wash the hands before cleaning the wound and wear sterile gloves if possible.
If the wound is bleeding, hold a clean bandage or dressing firmly against the burn until the bleeding stops.
Clean any sand and dirt out of the wound with saline solution or water and mild soap, if available. Pat the wound dry with a clean cloth. It is vital to remove all the dirt and debris to reduce the risk of infection, even if this is very painful.
Apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. Aloe vera is a suitable alternative to use if antibiotic ointment is not available. Aloe vera is cooling and acts as an extra barrier to bacteria. Research suggests that it may also have wound-healing properties. If topical ointment or aloe vera causes too much pain, just cover the clean, dry wound.
Place a non-stick medical dressing over the wound.
Cover the dressing with a breathable cotton bandage. The bandage will help to hold the dressing in place.

People can speed the healing of a turf burn and lower the risk of infection by:

washing the wound with mild soap and water
keeping the burn clean and free of dust and debris
using hydrogel to keep the wound moist
applying a wound dressing underneath the bandage to encourage healing
changing the dressing every day
using an aloe vera gel, antiseptic cream, or antibiotic ointment before covering the burn
washing the hands before touching the wound or bandages

Preventing turf burns is not easy. Each time the players fall onto the artificial turf, they risk getting new turf burns.

To avoid turf burns, people can wear protective clothing that does not expose too much skin, such as long sleeve shirts, spandex shorts, and long socks.

Shin pads can offer additional protection, particularly for sports that make a person prone to leg injuries, such as soccer and field hockey. Wearing long socks over the shin pads can further protect the legs from turf burns.

Some studies suggest using sliding pads or sticky bandages to form a barrier between the skin and the turf.

If the turf burn becomes infected, it is essential to visit the doctor immediately. Without proper treatment, an infection can spread to other parts of the body, putting the person’s overall health at risk.

There is also the risk that bacteria, such as staph, may spread to other players.

The signs and symptoms of an infection include:

increased skin redness
swelling
pain
blisters
fever
oozing pus

A turf burn may take a few weeks to heal, but it will not usually leave a scar.

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If you play sports on artificial turf, chances are you’ve experienced turf burn before. Cleaning the burn right away is especially important, since dirt and debris from the turf can cause infection. Apply an ointment to the burn and then cover it with a clean dressing to protect it. You’ll need to clean the burn and change the dressing daily. Contact your doctor if you see any signs of infection.

1
Clean the burn immediately. Because turf burns tend to get dirt and other debris in them, it’s important to clean them right away. Wash the burn with a mild soap and warm water, or use a homemade saline solution. Rinse the burn with plenty of warm water to wash out any debris, and gently pat it with clean, moist, lint-free gauze. For larger pieces of debris, use clean tweezers to remove them.[1]
- The tweezers you use should be disinfected. You can soak them in rubbing alcohol for a few minutes before using them.
- If you're cleaning someone else's burn, wash your hands first. You should also wear protective gloves.
- If there is quite a lot of embedded debris, or large pieces of debris in the burn, see a doctor to have them removed.
2
Spread petroleum jelly or an antibiotic ointment over the burn. Once you’ve cleaned the burn, you’ll need to promote its healing. Spread petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment over the entire burn so it stays moist. It will prevent infection and promote healing.[2]
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3

Hold a clean piece of gauze over the burn if it's bleeding. If you notice that your burn is actively bleeding (leaking blood as opposed to just having blood on the surface of the burn), apply pressure with a clean piece of gauze. After you've held the gauze over the burn for a minute or 2, check the burn to see if it's still bleeding. Apply more pressure if it is.
- If you can't get your burn to stop bleeding after a few minutes, you should see a doctor immediately.
4
Cover the burn with an adhesive dressing. Depending on the size of the burn, you might be able to use a large self-adhering bandage. If the burn is larger than that, use cotton padding and adhesive strips. Place the cotton pad over the burn, then apply adhesive strips around the padding to hold it in place.[3]
- If it's a large turf burn, use a hydrogel dressing or silicone gel sheet. These sheets should come with adhesive strips. Place the dressing or sheet over the burn and then secure it with adhesive strips pressed down on your skin at the edges of the dressing.[4]
5
See a doctor if necessary. If your turf burn is bleeding and you can't get it to stop, you should see a doctor. You should also see a doctor if the skin around the burn starts to get red or swollen, since that can indicate that you've developed an infection. Your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics.[5]
- If the area around your burn develops red streaks, see your doctor immediately. This can be a sign of blood poisoning, a serious complication.
- If your burn becomes swollen, see a doctor immediately.

1
Take antibiotics if they are prescribed. Depending on the severity of the burn, you may have been instructed to see your doctor. If you do, and they prescribe antibiotics, take them as directed. Even if your burn starts to heal, take the full course of antibiotics. They’ll prevent infection and heal your burn.[6]
- Depending on the severity of the burn and if infection has spread, you might be prescribed an oral or topical antibiotic. If the infection has spread, you're likely to be prescribed oral antibiotics. Otherwise, you might be given a topical antibiotic cream to apply to your burn.
2
Clean the burn and change the bandage daily. Gently remove the adhesive and bandage to expose the burn. With warm water and soap, gently clean the burn. Then reapply ointment and rewrap the burn. Keeping cleaning the burn daily until there are no longer open wounds.[7]
3
Do not break blisters. This increases the chances of your burn becoming infected. If blisters do develop, treat them as you would the rest of the burn. If blisters form and break open by themselves, blot up the liquid that’s released. Don’t pull off any skin that was over the liquid.[8]
4
Check for signs of infection. Raised red areas around the burn are the most obvious sign of a developing infection. If the skin around the burn feels hot, it might be infected as well. If you notice red streaks extending from the burn, or pus when you change the bandage, see a doctor right away.[9]
5
Cover the burned area with long clothing. If you want to keep playing sports while your turf burn heals, give the burn extra protection. Long-sleeved shirts or long pants will help give the burn an extra layer of protection and can prevent the burn from additional damage.[10]
- You can wear elastic sleeves meant for athletes' arms and legs to cover your burn.
6
Cover the burn with an SPF 30 sunscreen once it's healed. It's important that you protect the burned area from the sun. Wearing sunscreen will help prevent redness and discoloration in the area where the burn was.[11]

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Wear padding when you're playing sports to help prevent turf burn.[12]
Always keep your turf burn clean and covered so you don't get an infection.[13]
Turf burns can take 2 to 3 weeks to heal. If you're not seeing significant improvement by then, see your doctor.

Be aware that hot turf and equipment can cause painful burns.[14]

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Article SummaryX

Burns from playing on artificial turf can be nasty, but if you clean yours right away and keep it wrapped, it should heal within a few weeks. If your turf burn’s bleeding a bit, apply pressure with gauze or a bandage until it stops. Clean it with warm water and mild soap to get rid of any dirt and debris. Then, spread a thin layer of petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment over it and wrap it with a bandage to protect it from the elements. Clean your burn daily and replace its bandage with a fresh one. If it gets infected or doesn’t heal within 3 weeks, see your doctor. For more tips from our Medical co-author, including how to prevent turf burns in the future, read on.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 97,990 times.

Did this article help you?

How do you heal turf burn fast?

People can speed the healing of a turf burn and lower the risk of infection by:.

washing the wound with mild soap and water..

keeping the burn clean and free of dust and debris..

using hydrogel to keep the wound moist..

applying a wound dressing underneath the bandage to encourage healing..

changing the dressing every day..

Should I put hydrogen peroxide on a turf burn?

Aggressively scrub the area clean with a disinfectant (chlorehexidine=GOOD, hydrogen peroxide=BAD) and then keep it clean, moist, and covered using Tegaderm or hydrogel.

Should you let turf burn dry out?

Turf Burn Treatment Keep the wound completely dry by patting it dry with a clean towel. It is critical to remove all dirt and debris to avoid infection, even if it is very uncomfortable. Apply antibacterial cream to the affected area to avoid infection.

Should you bandage a turf burn?

If bleeding is present, stauch it with a clean bandage or dressing. Hold the bandage or dressing firmly against the burn until the bleeding ceases; Clean the wound and remove any sand or dirt that may be present. This is an important step to prevent infection.