How do I rapidly heal my blistered/burnt feet?

May 24, 2006 5:09 PM

I just ran barefoot on a hot street for a few minutes and my feet came back red and promising terrible blisterage. What can I do to speed up the healing process and/or soothe the burn while the healing is going on?
posted by sdis to health & fitness (16 answers total)

Cold water and baking soda soak may make the foot feel better. I'm not sure if anything with speed the healing at this point.
posted by piratebowling at 5:17 PM on May 24, 2006

Make sure it's cooled off thoroughly - don't trap the heat with butter or salves. Cool water helps. Once it's cooled down, aloe vera is supposed to help speed healing (also, it feels nice).
posted by joannemerriam at 5:19 PM on May 24, 2006

Vitamin E cream is great for promoting healing. I had terrible friction burns on top of my feet from doing mat work in judo and they healed in a couple of days with some vitamin E cream on them (that, and not doing it again without protecting them).

Like joannemerriam said, don't put anything on them until they're thoroughly cooled.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 5:21 PM on May 24, 2006

Another vote for aloe vera -- it works miracles. Oh, and when you finally catch the guy who you were chasing naked down the street, use something other than your feet to hit him ;-)
posted by JekPorkins at 5:41 PM on May 24, 2006

A footbath of cool water and a few drops of essential lavender oil. (This is good for a sunburn too. Just use a cold compress to apply.) Lavender is magic.
posted by digifox at 6:12 PM on May 24, 2006

Cool water with a heap of Epsom salts dissolved in it is what I generally use for this. I go barefoot a lot, I have very thick skin on the soles of my feet, and when they get overheated enough to blister those blisters are bastards. Epsom salts really work.
posted by flabdablet at 6:27 PM on May 24, 2006

Good suggestios all - and no matter what, don't pop the blisters. They're there for a reason, and popping them is the quickest path to infection.
posted by pdb at 6:34 PM on May 24, 2006

I have a nice scar from a 2nd degree burn blister on my leg that accidentally popped. You ever see one of those cutaway illustrations of the layers of the skin, dermis, epidermis, and all that? After the blister popped, I could see something like that. Then it got infected, turned green and nasty, and eventually healed.

But, are these burn blisters, or are they rubbing against the harsh street blisters? I think if they are the second you are in much better shape, as there is less damage to the underlying skin.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:41 PM on May 24, 2006

Aspirin or ibuprofen or some other anti-inflammatory can help the long term effects. Meaning, if you take one right away, your burn will be a lot less tomorrow than if you hadn't.

It works for sunburns and little stovetop burns. I can't speak to feet burns.
posted by small_ruminant at 8:01 PM on May 24, 2006

Last summer I went to the beach. I wore a long sleeve shirt, linen pants, and made sure to put sunblock on my face. But I wore boat shoes (which inevitably were taken off) and my feet were badly burned. For two weeks I let them go (flaky, burned, and annoyed) thinking that they'll heal themselves.

One night my grandmother forced me to slather Vaseline all over them. No joke but the next day my feet looked and felt soft and perfect. It was cheap, effective, and as long as you limit your movement, not very messy.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 8:49 PM on May 24, 2006

Redness and blistering qualify as 2nd degree burns. Some first aid tips are here, but considering that you'll be walking on (and aggravating) your hot feet, see your local doctor for a checkup to be safe.
posted by cenoxo at 9:04 PM on May 24, 2006

Aquaphor. It should be available at any local drugstore.
posted by ilsa at 11:04 PM on May 24, 2006

Thanks for the suggestions!

Went with ice water to cool it down, then applied hydrocolloid patches (Band-aid Advanced Healing) [Google seems to think that hydrocolloid patches are particularly good for blister healing], took 2 aspirin, and cut up some insoles to help reduce pressure on the blisters.
posted by sdis at 12:12 AM on May 25, 2006

I've had a lot of really bad burns (I once stepped into a fire on accident). Put your feet in a VERY CLEAN bucket of cool water, and keep them in there until the water gets to room temp. Refresh the water about every four hours. This helps with the pain a lot.
posted by Packy_1962 at 12:38 AM on May 25, 2006

Aloe gel or a product called "Solarcaine".
posted by Radio7 at 2:09 AM on May 25, 2006

When I burned the soles of feet (dancing on hot pavement), I was given an rx for Silvadine cream. I used it in conjunction with tylenol. I basically had to stay off my feet for a week. Tea tree oil, aloe, cold water soaks all helped, but maily it was time and not putting pressure on my feet.
posted by bryghtrose at 8:21 AM on May 25, 2006