Peeling away the skin along with the glue makes the burn more painful, lengthens the recovery time, and increases the risk of infection. If you can’t stop yourself from wiping the glue away, continue on with the rest of this treatment plan as described anyway. There will probably still be some residual glue on your skin.
Use cool water—not ice water! Dunking your hand in ice water may cause further damage to the burned skin. Applying ice directly to the burn can also cause skin damage, and the ice may get stuck to the burned skin. If your tap water is uncomfortably cold, slightly open the hot water valve as well. So long as the water temperature remains below body temperature—and, better yet, room temperature—it will help treat the burn.
Skip this step if the ring or other jewelry is too tight to remove, can’t be removed without scraping the burn, or has been glued to your skin. Your skin may swell in the area of the burn over a period of hours or days. If, for example, your finger swells significantly, a medical professional may need to cut your ring off in order to maintain blood flow.
Hot glue from a glue gun usually causes 1st degree or low-grade 2nd degree burns, both of which can be treated at home. That said, get medical assistance if any of the following are true: The pain remains severe after 20 minutes of treatment with cool water. The burned area is too large to fit inside a 2 in (5. 1 cm) diameter circle. Numerous blisters form quickly. Limited blistering is a sign of a 2nd degree burn, which can normally be managed at home. The skin looks ashy white or black and leathery. This indicates a 3rd degree burn and is very unlikely in this case.
If your skin starts peeling away with the glue, stop trying to remove it. Contact your doctor for advice.
Other food-grade oils can be used here, but olive oil seems to work particularly well.
Despite what you may have heard, oil, butter, and/or petroleum jelly are not good burn remedies and should not be used. These products trap any residual heat against the burn and may cause additional damage.
If you don’t have an antiseptic spray, soak a cotton ball in white vinegar, then lightly dab it over the burned area. Allow the vinegar to air dry.
If you use an adhesive bandage, choose one that is substantially larger than the burned area. Alternatively, wrap the area loosely with a non-adhesive bandage material and use just enough medical tape to keep the bandage in place.
If you see substantially more redness, swelling, or blistering, or if there is an odor or discharge coming from the burn, contact your healthcare provider.
