One of the most common seasonings that gives a culinary masterpiece a special taste and aroma is paprika. A burn from red pepper can be caused by improper processing, careless cutting of hot spices or tasting the dish. Therefore, most often in professional kitchens, working with this vegetable is done only with gloves.
This development of events is not uncommon; it is important to know in case of a red pepper burn what to do in the first minutes and how to treat this injury in the future.
Why does burning occur?
The burning sensation of pepper is loved by many connoisseurs of haute cuisine. The bitterness comes from capsaicin in the composition. This is a very pungent-tasting substance that provokes irritation even upon slight contact with the dermis. The strength of the burning sensation is determined by the amount of burning substance in a particular type of spice. The spicier varieties are those that grow in Asia. European varieties are distinguished by a milder pungency.
The stability of the burning sensation is noted due to the oily base of the product itself. It is impossible to simply wash it off with water, since it is not able to dissolve the oil. Therefore, it is necessary to know other methods on how to relieve pepper burns.
How to relieve pepper burn?
One of the most common seasonings that gives a culinary masterpiece a special taste and aroma is paprika. A burn from red pepper can be caused by improper processing, careless cutting of hot spices or tasting the dish. Therefore, most often in professional kitchens, working with this vegetable is done only with gloves.
This development of events is not uncommon; it is important to know in case of a red pepper burn what to do in the first minutes and how to treat this injury in the future.
First aid
Typically, most finger burns from pepper occur during cooking. Immediately if unpleasant sensations appear, first aid must be provided so as not to provoke a severe burn on your hands from red pepper. For this:
- Immediately place your hands under running cold water and hold until the pain begins to subside. But under no circumstances should you wash your hands with soap.
- If water is not effective at all, then prepare a weak solution of soda and add a little ice to it. Keep limbs in the bath for 10-15 minutes.
- To eliminate pain, you can use a strong alcoholic drink. Immerse your hands in the drink for a few minutes, which will reduce sensitivity.
As soon as first aid has been provided, you can begin to treat hand burns with hot pepper.
Prevention of pepper burns
To avoid burns when working with red hot peppers, your hands should be protected with gloves . And your eyes should be covered with glasses .
If there are no gloves, they can be replaced with plastic bags placed on your hands. Or, as a last resort, just wrap your brushes in paper towels.
An additional precaution is to lubricate your hands with a small amount of vegetable oil .
If your hands burn from hot peppers, then it’s not scary, except it brings very unpleasant sensations. Just never wash your hands with warm or hot water, otherwise it will burn even more. And do not touch your face, especially your eyes, with your hands. Just wash your hands with cold water and soap, preferably liquid soap or shower gel, two or three times. Soon the burning sensation will go away.
Hello! Recently I was rolling up “Armenianchiki” tomatoes, which are stuffed with hot peppers and garlic, and out of stupidity I didn’t use gloves. (Before this, I used a new grater and hurt my hands in several places). At first, the burning sensation was tolerable, but since the stuffing process took 1 hour, the pepper was well absorbed into my hands. I tried everything I could to remove the burning sensation: cold water, butter, sour milk, washed my hands with soap to no avail, only relief for a while and then the burning sensation again. And the most interesting thing is that my husband recommended a spray remedy for burns (I won’t say the name; I’m not advertising anything). And it helped me. Hooray. After 15 minutes there was no unpleasant sensation of scalded hands))) By the way, I was afraid to touch my eyes for two days))).
How to get rid of burning sensation
To relieve a pepper burn, you need to wash the affected area and apply a moisturizing gel or cream. Despite its stability, pepper oil is susceptible to exposure to certain substances. Let's consider the most effective options for removing a pepper burn.
Milk and salt
When considering what to do if you burn your hand with pepper, be sure to try using salt. One of the most effective methods of combating burning is fine salt. It almost immediately reacts with capsaicin and converts it into a harmless substance. But you can enhance the effect of salt by mixing it with water to form a paste. The finer the sand, the faster the reaction will result in a paste. For a large spoonful of salt, half a spoonful of water is enough.
Apply the resulting slurry to the injured skin, spreading it over the entire affected area. This will completely neutralize the active substance in the pepper. After a couple of minutes, wash your hands with heated milk, which completes the reaction and partially eliminates irritation.
Soda and soap
You can quickly remove pepper burns by using a prepared scrub. It is prepared on the basis of soda and laundry soap. The soap will need to be grated on a coarse grater and mixed with a small amount of water. Add a little soda powder to the resulting slurry.
Mix the resulting mixture very well until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Then apply the paste to the burn area after the pepper. The mixture is easily rubbed into the epidermis and acts like a scrub. Residues of the product are removed with plain water and soap.
Using toothpaste and milk
The method is very similar to the milk and salt method, but uses a toothpaste instead. The active ingredients, which are intended to clean teeth from plaque, quickly react with the spice oil.
If a hot pepper burn causes discomfort, apply a small amount of paste to the damaged area. After a short period of time, you can feel a pleasant cold and relief. As soon as the paste dries, remove its remnants using a cotton pad soaked in warm milk. After removing the residue, rinse your hand with water and treat the burned area with nourishing cream.
Oil or glycerin mixture
As stated, the hot front has a strong, oily base. Capsaicin is dissolved in this oil. But you can use oil to remove pepper oil. An excellent remedy is olive and vegetable oils. Thanks to its liquid form, it is easy to treat limbs. To enhance the effect, you will need to add sugar to the butter.
The product is prepared in a ratio of 2 to 1. The resulting mixture has a comfortable consistency for application to the affected areas. Sequencing:
- apply the product to the burned areas;
- wait 10-15 minutes for the burning substance to dissolve in the oil;
- wash off the residue from the skin with plain water;
- treat your hands with moisturizer.
You can treat a pepper burn using this method using any oil. It is even possible to use butter and margarine, which are melted in advance to a liquid mass. If it is not possible to use fat, then it is possible to replace it with glycerin.
Cucumber compress
When considering how to relieve pepper burns, using cucumber is very effective. This vegetable is rich in useful and nutritious substances and has a rejuvenating and moisturizing effect.
To eliminate burning and other unpleasant symptoms, you must use freshly cut cucumber. Apply the inner part to the affected area and leave for a quarter of an hour until the moisture is completely gone. After removing the cucumber, wash your hands with soap. Knowing what to do if you have a pepper burn on your hands, you can quickly cope with unpleasant symptoms.
Why is red pepper dangerous for the mucous membranes of the mouth and hands?
Professionals know that when cutting pepper, its particles should not get on the mucous membranes, face, lips, mouth, eyes. These are the places that are vulnerable and sensitive. Pepper contains an alkaloid – capsaicin, which leads to chemical damage to the mucous membrane. In addition, everything can be aggravated by serious allergies.
Different types of peppers differ in the amount of capsaicin. The varieties growing in the countries of South America and Southeast Asia are especially dangerous. Safer ones are grown in Europe, including pepperoni.
Do you want to cook a dish with peppers and pick them from the bush? Be sure to wear gloves and use a gauze bandage for your face. Even after the procedure is completely completed, you should immediately get rid of protective equipment and wash your hands with soap.
Unable to avoid contact with chili peppers? You will have to wait, because the alkaloid is eliminated from the body within several days. Only timely assistance and high-quality treatment alleviate the condition and completely restore the mucous membrane.
Keep in mind that it is not only fresh red pepper that causes burns to the oral mucosa, but also dry seasoning and foods with caustic chili particles. Most often, a person gets burns when preparing dishes with pepper. Burns also occur if the red pepper patch is used incorrectly. It should not be overexposed, otherwise it can lead to irritation and blisters.
What needs to be done urgently? Many people make the mistake of starting to lubricate the burn with Vaseline or greasy cream. As a result, the skin suffers even more because the pores become clogged.
What to do if you get pepper in your eyes
During cooking, a situation may arise when capsaicin gets into the eyes when rubbing the eyes. This provokes severe pain, burning and stinging. Since there are not always special eye drops in the medicine cabinet, you can use folk remedies.
The best recipes to relieve pepper burns are:
- Tea leaves . Steep the tea bag for 5 minutes to make it strong. Moisten a cotton pad generously and wipe the eyes from the outer to the inner corner.
- Furacilin . When considering what to do if you are burned by red pepper, you should pay attention to Furacilin. Dissolve Furacilin tablet in cooled boiled water. Rinse eyes with the resulting product using a pipette. Drops should be instilled into the conjunctival sac.
- Cow's or goat's milk . You can treat pepper burns with milk. Instill the milk product using a special pipette. But when instilled, it should flow back, thereby washing away the capsaicin.
- Tincture of calendula or chamomile . Pour the prepared infusion into a container so that you can immerse your head and immerse your eyes. During the procedure, try to open your eyes and try to blink.
After treating an eye burn with pepper, be sure to use anti-inflammatory drops.
How to treat a hand burn from chili pepper?
After providing first aid, you must immediately begin treatment. The main thing is not to allow the damaged area to become infected. To do this, you need to apply Fastin, Levomekol and Rescue ointment every day.
In order for the skin of your hands to recover faster, you need to apply Panthenol in the form of an ointment or cream to the affected area of the skin three times a week.
Attention! Do not irritate the affected skin; to do this, after a burn, it is best to immediately bandage your hands, then keep the wound open.
Can't stand the pain? Treatment at home doesn't help? Go to the hospital immediately. If you refuse medical help, you will not only lose your ability to work, but you may further damage your skin. You must understand that a pepper burn is almost the same as a chemical burn.
Use of medications
When considering what to do, if the burn from red pepper is severe enough, it is better to use medications. If such damage occurs, it is best to use:
- Panthenol . The product is produced in the form of a spray. It is related to regeneration stimulants, characterized by anti-inflammatory effects. Spray the spray 1 to 3 times a day at a distance of 15 cm.
- Olazol . When learning what to do if you are burned by red pepper, you can try Olazol. The product contains an analgesic component. When applied to the dermis, it softens it and normalizes tissue regeneration. It is also characterized by a disinfecting effect.
- Amprovisol . When choosing how to treat a pepper burn, pay attention to Amprovisol. The composition contains menthol, which instantly cools the skin. The drug is characterized by anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
- Solcoseryl . When considering what to do in case of a chili burn, you should choose Solcoseryl. The drug is produced in the form of a gel, which has a pronounced regenerating effect. It contains many amino acids that are necessary for protein production.
- Bepanten plus . If you burn your hands with red pepper, be sure to use Bepanten. The product stimulates tissue regeneration, suppresses various infections, and prevents the contamination of the wound with pathogenic flora.
Knowing how to treat a pepper burn, you can prevent unwanted consequences and increased symptoms.
Treatment
You can treat a burn from red pepper yourself if the degree of skin damage is mild . In all other cases, you should consult a doctor to exclude the development of complications.
After providing first aid, the wound must be treated with an antiseptic to prevent infection.
Every day the burn will have to be lubricated with antiseptic ointments - Rescuer, Levomekol or Fastin.
To speed up the process of skin regeneration, the wound surface should be treated with Panthenol (ointment or cream). And this will need to be done at least three times a day, preferably during dressing changes.
After a chemical burn, the skin needs rest, so the wound should be dressed with a clean bandage and the bandage should be changed regularly.
Mechanism of formation of chemical damage to the epithelium
You can get a skin burn from hot peppers with both red and green types of vegetables. The composition includes the element capsaicin, which is a stable chemical compound that makes it quite easy to get burned.
The peculiarity of this component is that it is tolerant to alkaline water-based masses. But at the same time, it can be easily dissolved in organic compounds in ethyl alcohol or fats. These subtleties are very important when choosing a treatment regimen and first aid measures if there is a burn to the hands, mucous membranes of the eyes or throat.
Folk recipes
In order to avoid hot pepper burns, it is important to include not only the use of medications, but also alternative medicine recipes:
- To remove vegetable particles from the skin, you need to sprinkle a small amount of table salt on the injury. After 5 minutes, rinse it off with water and then rinse with milk.
- With such an injury, you can rinse your mouth with dairy products or make rich compresses (moisten cotton pads generously) and apply them to the damaged area for 15-20 minutes.
- Mix olive oil and sugar in equal parts, gently rub the affected area and apply sea buckthorn oil on top. If you burn with red pepper, keep the recipe for about 10-15 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
- Simple creamy ice cream will help not only relieve pain, but eliminate redness and swelling.
- To remove swelling and pain, it is recommended to lubricate the area affected by the bitter vegetable with kefir or a weak solution of vinegar.
- To quickly neutralize a burning sensation in the mouth, 1 fresh cucumber helps, which must be chewed thoroughly or a compress applied to the affected area of the skin.
- A paste of water and soda (1 glass and 1 tsp) helps effectively; lubricate the affected area with this mixture, let it dry and rinse off after 15-20 minutes.
- Due to the large amount of sugar, bananas will help relieve the burning sensation when your hands are burned by hot pepper.
- Milk (not dark!) chocolate perfectly relieves painful and unpleasant symptoms.
- A mixture of flour and milk (1 cup per 2 tablespoons) helps effectively to make “gloves” out of the mixture, leave for 5-10 minutes, rinse with cold running water.
Alternative medicine methods are especially relevant if the injury occurred during pregnancy, because at this time it is not recommended to use any drugs.
Before wounds on the upper extremities heal, you must try to reduce manual work, limit all household chores, and provide complete rest to the affected area.
To avoid injuries from a spicy vegetable, it is necessary to approach its consumption with special responsibility and work with latex gloves. When eating overly spicy foods, wash them down with plenty of water or alcohol.
Knowledge of what to do if a burn from hot pepper occurs, and timely provision of the necessary therapy will help prevent severe pain and complications.
