burn (follow-up)

[redbird]

I poked around the Web--refdesk.com took me to Medline and the Mayo Clinic--and then my medicine cabinet, and have applied an aloe vera sunburn gel to my leg, with some hesitation: the packaging said not to use if there was blistering, but the Mayo Clinic specifically suggests aloe vera gel for this situation. Since the product is marketed/labeled for sunburns, I suspect that the message is "if your sunburn is bad enough to blister, seek medical help".

The blister is small, and I really don't want to deal with an emergency room on a Sunday night. Depending on what cattitude says when he says this, on how I feel by morning, and on any comments I get, I may go to my doctor tomorrow. I've also taken two aspirin.

Comments

[jenett]

From my first aid training last year, a small blister probably isn't a big deal (you want to cover it lightly, make sure it doesn't get infected, but as long as there aren't any signs of that, you should be fine.) If there's any sign of redness or other infection stuff, then you want a doctor to look at it promptly.

If you happen to have lavender or tea tree essential oil handy, both of them are very good for burns, and they're among the only essential oils safe to touch directly (undiluted) to the skin.

For burns (including very slight blisters), I put a drop or two on a bandaid or other appropriate bit of padding/cloth, and then leave it on with a little extra padding for a bit.