Can burn blisters be popped?

Scalding by water is a common symptom in life. Blisters often appear when you are scalded. As for whether the blisters need to be popped, it depends on the specific symptoms. Small blisters generally do not need to be treated, and the liquid inside will gradually be absorbed by the body. However, if the blisters are larger, it is recommended to go to the hospital for removal. After scalding, you need to adjust your condition in time, especially to prevent infection.

1. Should blisters caused by burns be retained, drained, or removed entirely?

This question has long been a puzzle in the medical community. There have always been both pro and con arguments, but research papers in recent years have shown that more people support draining the blisters or removing them entirely.

How do blisters come about? After a skin burn, the epidermis and dermis separate, the inflammatory reaction begins, and tissue fluid rushes in to form blisters. The blisters contain not only water, but also a very complex composition, containing a large amount of inflammatory substances and growth factors. The argument of those who are in favor of retaining the blisters is that retaining the blisters can reduce pain and infection, and that part of the components of the blister tissue fluid can promote wound growth and angiogenesis.

Those who support draining or removing blisters argue that the inflammatory substances in the blisters will hinder wound healing and deepen the burn. The epidermis that forms the blisters is necrotic, and large areas of necrotic epidermis will only form a breeding ground for bacteria. Removing blisters can also allow doctors to accurately assess the depth of the burn and then choose the method of bandaging.

2. For small blisters, you can choose to leave the larger blisters and remove them directly

Dr. Ou Guanxuan from Taiwan said that blisters have both advantages and disadvantages, so when seeing patients in the outpatient clinic, very small blisters can be left as they are, and they will be absorbed on their own in about a week. For patients or children who are very afraid of pain, the doctor will cut the blister open to allow the tissue fluid to flow out before bandaging it; however, for larger blisters, it is usually recommended to remove them directly. It is important to note that it should be removed by medical staff using sterile techniques, and not removed by yourself, to avoid bacterial infection. The wound will indeed be more painful after removal, but modern medicine has made great progress. Once the dressing is applied, the pain is the same as if the blister had not been removed, and there is no need to change the dressing every day.

"I heard that leaving blisters on will reduce the risk of scarring?" Research has proven that there is no such argument. Whether scars are left depends on the depth of the burn. Wounds of superficial second degree or above generally do not leave scars. A simple way to distinguish: as long as the burn wound heals within 14 days, it is unlikely to leave scars.

3. Will it be easier to heal if you keep the wound ventilated?

People often think that wounds will heal faster if they are allowed to ventilate and not be stuffy. This is a wrong concept. The first priority after the blister is removed is to keep the wound moist.

In the 1960s, some scholars proposed the occlusive dressing method. They found that epidermal cells migrate faster in a humid environment, thereby shortening the wound healing time. In fact, just like the soil, a dry desert can never grow lush plants. The current principle of burn wound care is to keep the wound moisturized, such as using ointments, artificial skin, alginate, foam dressings, etc., to keep the wound moist, but not too wet, otherwise there will be problems with wound infiltration affecting healing.