Healing time for a peeled blister?
May 15, 2010 10:49 AM Subscribe
How long does it take for new skin to form on a peeled blister?
I burned myself on an oven last week and immediately got a rather large blister. I put a Compeed adhesive pad on it the next day, which I now see was a mistake. The pad started unsticking so I just pulled it off, along with the top layer of skin on the blister.
I've been putting bandaids with neosporin on it everyday, but a week later it's still red and raw. I am wondering when can I expect new skin to form and the redness to go down? The bandaids are irritating the skin around the blister, so I'm curious how much longer I'll be having to do this.
I burned myself on an oven last week and immediately got a rather large blister. I put a Compeed adhesive pad on it the next day, which I now see was a mistake. The pad started unsticking so I just pulled it off, along with the top layer of skin on the blister.
I've been putting bandaids with neosporin on it everyday, but a week later it's still red and raw. I am wondering when can I expect new skin to form and the redness to go down? The bandaids are irritating the skin around the blister, so I'm curious how much longer I'll be having to do this.
Yeah, stop with the band-aids and neosporin. Go see a dermatologist about it. I got a pretty nasty burn blister from boiling water a while back, and my dermatologist prescribed me some silvadene cream, which was magic. And instead of band-aids, I got some gauze pads and taped them over the area. The good thing about that is you can change where you put the tape, so it doesn't destroy the skin around the burn.
posted by wondermouse at 10:58 AM on May 15, 2010
posted by wondermouse at 10:58 AM on May 15, 2010
Response by poster: How long would I let it air out? I am wary about letting it air out too much because I want to prevent scarring. It's also on an area that touches things often so I'm thinking it might get infected that way.
posted by side effect at 11:33 AM on May 15, 2010
posted by side effect at 11:33 AM on May 15, 2010
You can't let it air out too much. Just leave it; the human body has been healing basic wounds for a very long time now and pretty much knows how to do this if you leave it alone to do its thing.
Neosporin isn't going to stop scarring. It will scar or it won't, and the scar will heal and disappear or it won't.
Exposure to life isn't going to cause infection on a superficial burn. Sure the edges may get a bit crunchy, but that's normal and your body is well able to take care of that in the course of healing unless you are immuno-compromised, which I assume you would have mentioned.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:46 AM on May 15, 2010
Neosporin isn't going to stop scarring. It will scar or it won't, and the scar will heal and disappear or it won't.
Exposure to life isn't going to cause infection on a superficial burn. Sure the edges may get a bit crunchy, but that's normal and your body is well able to take care of that in the course of healing unless you are immuno-compromised, which I assume you would have mentioned.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:46 AM on May 15, 2010
You want a hydrocolloid bandage. You will be amazed that these miracle things exist and that no one told you about them before. I was last summer when a badly scraped up knee went from being irritated and slow-healing with all kinds of regular bandaids and ointments to nearly instantly better with one of these.
posted by daisyace at 2:18 PM on May 15, 2010
posted by daisyace at 2:18 PM on May 15, 2010
For future blisters, you might consider just popping it yourself, and saving the hassle. When I get blisters from playing bass, or basketball, I usually do one of two things, either keep playing until it pops, or use a needle (held in a flame first to disinfect it, then let it cool) to pop it. Using the needle is essentially painless, just go sideways, going into, then out of the blister, letting the fluid seep out. The raw skin with be protected by the dead skin until it comes off.
I find this to be a lot better for daily life than the "oh, I've got a blister and I don't want to touch it." awkwardness that comes from an unpopped blister. Of course, IANAD, and this is just my crazy idea, for future blisters.
As far as I've seen, blisters don't scar all that much. I'd definitely stop the band-aids and neosporin and let it air out. The raw skin won't stop being raw until it has a chance to breath and toughen up.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:35 PM on May 15, 2010
I find this to be a lot better for daily life than the "oh, I've got a blister and I don't want to touch it." awkwardness that comes from an unpopped blister. Of course, IANAD, and this is just my crazy idea, for future blisters.
As far as I've seen, blisters don't scar all that much. I'd definitely stop the band-aids and neosporin and let it air out. The raw skin won't stop being raw until it has a chance to breath and toughen up.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:35 PM on May 15, 2010
Also, with the gauze pads, since you're only applying tape around the bandage, some air can still get into the wounded area. I really needed the gauze because my burn was on my collar bone, right under where my bra strap would sit. If you're that worried about scarring, I'd still recommend going to your doctor for the silvadene. It prevents infection, sooths the skin, and I think it helps reduce scarring as well.
posted by wondermouse at 6:51 PM on May 15, 2010
posted by wondermouse at 6:51 PM on May 15, 2010
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Alternatively, call your doctor or visit an urgent care place and have someone who knows what they're doing take a look at it. Redness can also be a sign of infection.
posted by MadamM at 10:53 AM on May 15, 2010 [1 favorite]