any suggestions for a burned finger"?

LEDBE
recDNA

recDNA

Flashaholic
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please excuse my one handed typing sans caps. i just burned my finger and it blistered immediately....sitting with it in a cup of cool water....any great suggestions for burned fingers? believe it or not ive never had a bad burn before so i have no clue.

just got off phone with doc...only advice was cold water and pain meds....took oxy...will be stoned soon ...so much for seeing johnny dep tonite
 
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Whenever I burn something, I usually keep it under temperated water for quite a while, instead of cool water for a short while. Hold your finger under the tap as long as you can be bothered, and adjust the temperature continuously. It should be as low as you can get it without getting uncomfortable. That is, not freezing.

Given that you already have a blister, you could do something I've done before. I burned my arm on a hot pipe, and didn't bother to do anything about it. Later, due to my carelessness, a blister developed. I sprayed one of those freeze sprays on it (LONG AFTER the burn actually occurred), and the blister actually disappeared. Within the working day, the burn was reduced to a scar.

I don't know if it'd work as well for you but it's worth a try.
 
I read online last time I burned myself (Google! Cheaper than your average doctor's visit!) that toothpaste, the real stuff, not gel, can be put on the burn right after it happens to ease the pain. I don't remember why, but you can certainly give it a click, which requires only manipulation of the mouse and no typing.

Link
 
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LEDAdd1ct said:
I've read online last time I burned myself (Google! Cheaper than your average doctor's visit!) and read that toothpaste, the real stuff, not gel, can be put on the burn right after it happens to ease the pain. I don't remember why, but you can certainly give it a click, which requires only manipulation of the mouse and no typing.

Link
Click to expand...

That's the menthol effect. Helps with pain but not with the burn. Best thing is to get an ice cube on it immediately, which prevents the inflammatory process from starting. Advil helps for the same reason. The number one thing is time. Literally run to the fridge, grab a cube and put it on there for a good 5-10 minutes. Works incredibly well for minor burns -- almost as effective as Undo.
 
Thanks everyone. I passed out on meds. That worked well for the pain anyway!
 
I would suggest keeping some "Aloe Vera" gel around the house; it works great on burns.

It's what my parents used when I was a kid, and what I still use today. I've had some pretty nasty burns from frying oil, kite strings, wood stoves and impulse sealers among other things, and Aloe Vera gel has never failed me.

At my house, we keep some in the kitchen in case of cooking burns.
 
I was told to put it in a stream or cup of cool water as soon as you can to pull away any heat created.

Then as quickly possible, make ice water and keep your finger in it while stirring. I forget the exact length of time, maybe 15 minutes then a 5 minute break. Keep doing this alternately for several hours.

The theory is after you've cooked your skin, it keeps reacting as if the heat is still applied. By using ice water you de-fuse the skin's ongoing reaction to a burn.

Don't pop the blister when it forms. Use ice water to reduce the swelling as days go on.
 
ice pack.for ages . with the ice pack on the pain should ease . if you remove the pack and the pain returns reapply the pack. for hours if need be. i once accidently grabbed the element in my griller, ice reduced the damage amazingly. ditto for welding burns . i could tell you the hot thermos spill story but thats too embassing . again ice saved the day.

generally nothing else as after the initial period infection can be the problem (with a larger burn) so cleanliness is a real issue. in large bad burns the infection will killyou.

donot underestimate the benefit from immediate and continued ice treatment.

i believe currentfirstaid course talk about cool water but i have found ice works better and use your own pain response as a guide .

cheers
 
+1 to beerwax and EngrPaul

Whenever I accidentally use my left index finger to support the barrel of my soldering iron (stinky and painful!), I get a small glass full of ice water and keep my finger in it until it hurts from the cold, then take it out until it hurts from the burn, then repeat until it stops hurting from the burn, which is at least an hour. Then aloe vera. Usually the burn doesn't even hurt to get wet later that day.
 
Slickseth said:
Oxy for a burned finger? Seriously?
Click to expand...

Doc said to take 4 tylenol. I figured I might need my liver some day so I mentioned I had oxy left over from rotator cuff surgery. He told me to take it. One did the trick. Great suggestions here really helped. It's very tempting to pop the blister cuz it's too swolen to shrink with ice but I'm fighting the urge. Every site I've visited says not to. It's prolly gonna break on its own because though wrapped with neosporin applied the skin is hard and brittle over the swelling. It doesn't even feel like skin. I knew I'd get great advice here. Best forum around.

Thanks again everyone.
 
Please don't pop the blister. Infections are no joke, and if you can possibly stand it, let it be. I'm glad you are feeling better. 🙂
 
Keep a small bag of white flour in the fridge. Works great for those smaller area's like that....................
 
flashflood said:
That's the menthol effect. Helps with pain but not with the burn. Best thing is to get an ice cube on it immediately, which prevents the inflammatory process from starting. Advil helps for the same reason. The number one thing is time. Literally run to the fridge, grab a cube and put it on there for a good 5-10 minutes. Works incredibly well for minor burns -- almost as effective as Undo.
Click to expand...

+1, I do this and it helps the most when it comes to burns. Get an ice cube on it immediately and kept it on it for 15-20 minutes. Even though when you take it off it may hurt most other methods hurt more for longer and blister more too. I have gotten burns from welding that I have scars for that I immediately put under a water fountain for awhile and I didn't have half the pain I would have if I had not done so. For minor burns sometimes the pain goes away, stays away, and you end up with like a callous where the burn was a day or two later.
 
Treating any injury with cold is #1, from a burn to broken leg.

It reduces any developing contusions and inflammation to an absolute minimum.

I still have all 10 digits thanks to ice.
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Burns are usually easier to run under cold water until they stop burning, same idea.

Don't pop it, if it does pop on its own, properly clean and dress the wound regularly


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<not a doctor, consult yours before taking Any advice>
 
Believe it or not, mustard. Used to burn myself regularly when I worked in a concession stand. It instantly alleviates the pain. Hope you feel better soon.
 
Neosporin and a wrap. Constantly burning myself with soldering irons, lasers, etc., and this technique heals the fastest.
 
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