erinmargrethe asked: So, I was doing a little drunk cooking last night and I burnt my hand (the fleshy bit just under the thumb joint) pretty good on the pasta sauce. I held on to an ice cube for a while, then went to bed. I just woke up and it's come up in a massive blister. What should I do for it? I'd like to bandage it so I don't bang it against anything (it hurts like a mofo), but will that slow the healing process? Should I put any kind of cream or ointment on it? What else should I do (besides put the pizza delivery place on speed dial)?
Thanks in advance, erin
I’m writing this short answer because I know it hurts!
First, I don’t know how big or deep the burn is, but basically you should put something like Neosporin or another antibiotic ointment on it and bandage it. Believe it or not there has been some back and forth about whether you should put cream or ointment on burns. Large or deep burns probably should have something like Silvadene Cream or another topical cream with silver in it (silver retards bacterial and yeast growth), but the main thing is to keep that skin soft, pliable, and protected.
That blister is protection against infection. If it dries up or tears too soon, you have a potential route for infection to enter your wound. So let the blister live for at least a few days, keep it moist and the antibiotic ointment is just another hedge against infection. If it hurts you can put ice or something on it for a bit with a towel in between the ice and your skin. The cool will feel better, but if it is too cold you slow circulation to the area and you don’t want that, either.
You might even have some sort of anesthetic spray like a Bactine or something in your drug stores there. That could help with the pain. Burns hurt like crazy, as you know. I hope this helps, Erin.
