• Home

Leave burn blisters alone

— Don’t puncture blisters, advises a plastic surgeon. According to Dr B. Venkata Ratnam, plastic surgeon at NMC Specialty Hospital.

Abu Dhabi — Don’t puncture blisters, advises a plastic surgeon. According to Dr B. Venkata Ratnam, plastic surgeon at NMC Specialty Hospital, burn blisters heal better when left alone rather than puncturing or removing the fluid.

He said current medical practice worldwide treats blister by puncturing it and draining out the fluid. “Some people even excise (de-roof) the blister skin (for fear) of infection. But I found there is no proof of that,” said Dr Ratnam, adding that such treatment only serves to cause undue pain.

In addition, this converts a closed wound into an open one, thus increasing the chance of a wound infection.

A blister is a bubble or a small pocket of fluid within the upper layer of the skin, which appears as reaction to heat such as scalding and other contact burns.

“Despite extensive medical research, the best treatment for burn blisters remains unresolved,” he stated.

“Blisters are, in fact, not only helpful to the healing of burn wounds but, they also help the underlying wounds heal better.  During the course of treatment, once their purpose is served, the blisters get ruptured on their own, without causing pain or infection, and the fluid in them comes out safely … and heal satisfactorily on their own,” Dr Ratnam, who is also vice-president of the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society, explained.

In an observational study he carried out, between 2009-2012, Dr Ratnam found that conservative treatment (not deliberately puncturing) of blisters in burn wounds is safe and that healing was faster and qualitatively superior in the area that was protected by blister skin. This method simplifies burn wound care and makes treatment of burn blisters painless.

“These findings are especially useful while treating burns in children and those patients who are excessively afraid of pain during burn wound care,” he pointed out. The study involved 122 patients, ages 0-70 years.

The study which was published at the Indian Journal of Wound Care and Research, explained that healing is favoured in a moist environment and that blister skin acts as a natural occlusive dressing, protecting the underlying wound and providing a moist environment for the wound to heal.

“This blister skin that collapsed on the surface of skin serves the dual purpose of expediting burn wound healing and enhancing quality of healing,” the article noted.

The research has won Dr Ratnam the Best Research Award last year, awarded to him by the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI).

olivia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE