I recently burned my thumb at work carrying a REALLY hot plate of nachos. It has developped into a blister, and its really kind of ugly, all swollen up they way it is. Anyways, I have one housemate telling me to just leave it alone and let it go away, and I have another one telling me to pop the blister (i.e. with a needle as one would a blister from new boots or something). Which is best? I don’t really care much if it scars (it’s on the underside anyways) but I don’t really want it to hurt, and if just leaving it alone is best, well that’s really what I’d rather do (and probably what I will do). But the question remains, what would be best in order to get this burn to heal faster?
Don’t pop the blister!
A couple of things are happening here with the blister. The most important one is that while the skin is intact, it provides a barrier to possible infection from the environment. The second is that the fluid inside the blister will eventually be reabsorbed into body.
If it is really bothering you, and affecting your ability to go about normal activities and duties, go see a doctor for some advice. He/she may refer you to get it properly cleaned and dressed, or prescribe some topical medication to aid the healing process.
If it’s anything more than a little blister (less than 0.5 cm diameter), you should have someone look at it. Especially if the area around the blister looks red, swollen, or becomes increasingly painful, because these are signs of infection.
That said, if this is a minor burn (and the only way to truly know is to have a health care provider examine it-by definition a blistering burn is a second degree burn, but if it involves only a tiny area, it is not necessarily serious) the blister will resolve on its own. The most consevative approach is to allow it to do so. As Dvous stated, the blister serves as a barrier to infection. If you pop it, you expose the underlying damaged skin to all sorts of nasties. Additionally, unless you have access to sterile equipment, you’ll be introducing bacteria into the area during the act of popping it.
If this is truly a minor injury, the likelihood you’ll come to harm by popping the blister is small. However, it should resolve on it’s own within a few days. So why take a chance?
Sterile equipment is not a factor. Merely heat a needle to prick it. You will still have the protective skin, except for the tiny pinhole, and the fluid will ooze out faster than your body can absorb it.
IANAMD, but my thought is that if it is a small blister, let Nature take her course. However, if it is a large one, you may consider popping it with a sterile needle. It will heal faster, and you can cover it with an antibiotic ointment, such as Neosporin, or the like.
I recently had a really big blister at my ankle caused by some insect bite, apparently. Much larger than a fire ant bite, altho it may had been. I took a hike through the woods a few days prior, so I may have been bitten by something in there. I mean it was really big. But it was not painful. I was considering popping it due to its immense size, but it was so big, that it popped on its own.
I second the suggestion to not pop the blister. And, if it’s a large one, yes see a doctor (who will also tell you to not pop the blister).
Its not TOO big a blister. Its about 1cm long and maybe 0.5cm at the widest point. Maybe about the size of a peanut half. The thing is, I dont really have time to get it checked out anyways cuz of work. I didnt really want to pop it anyways, but some people keep telling me to. It doesnt seem to be infected or anything, so I think I`ll just leave it alone for now and see what happens. Thanks for all the responses!